When local taxidermist Darin Filice received a phone call
inquiring if he could stuff a dead turkey vulture, he wasn’t
betting the conversation would merit a visit from the reality TV
series
”
Wild Justice.
”
When local taxidermist Darin Filice received a phone call inquiring if he could stuff a dead turkey vulture, he wasn’t betting the conversation would merit a visit from the reality TV series “Wild Justice.”
The show – reminiscent of “COPS” but with an ecological twist – is produced by National Geographic and shadows California game wardens who “face off against poachers, polluters and drug runners as they battle to keep the state’s wilderness safe” according to the show’s website.
“He asked me if I could have it stuffed,” said Filice, who has lived in Gilroy all his life, owns South County Pool & Spa and practices taxidermy on the side.
The man told Filice he found the bird while jogging, and wondered if it could be used for educational purposes in the classroom. The man was reached via phone by the Dispatch, but refused to give his last name and did not want to be quoted.
“I said, ‘No, I don’t do birds,’ ” Filice recalled. “I told him that’s an illegal bird to mount.”
Filice told the man it is illegal to kill or possess a turkey vulture as the bird is a protected species, and suggested the man inquire with the California Department of Fish and Game to see if there were any options in terms of obtaining a special permit. Filice said he offered to call one of his contacts, CDFG Lt. John Nores with the Santa Clara and Northern Monterey division.
Four days later, what began as an innocuous phone call escalated to what Filice says was an inappropriately handled undercover sting. The situation heightened after a surprise visit from “Wild Justice” around 7:30 p.m. April 16, which hit a nerve and left Filice feeling unsettled.
“If I would have reported this as a violation, they could have done exactly what they did. But I reported this as a request … can’t they just talk to somebody?” he said. “Are they out there to help anybody, or is it all about a citation?”
Patrick Foy, CDFG public information officer and warden, said the case has not been filed yet with the District Attorney’s Office “so we’re very limited with what we can say.”
Foy, a friend and colleague of Nores’ who said he heard the story directly relayed from Nores, stated Filice’s account was similar but, there were discrepancies between the two versions.
Filice said he was mounting a deer head for Nores. He told the man with the buzzard “I could have Nores give him a call.”
The following day Filice was curious to see if the two worked anything out, he said.
“I called him up and asked him, ‘How did it go with the wardens?’ ” Filice remembered. “And the man said, ‘That guy was a warden?’ ”
According to Filice the man said he received a call – but not from the CDFG.
Rather it was an individual claiming to be a taxidermist, offering to mount the vulture for $400.
CDFG Capt. Don Kelly, who is stationed in Monterey and oversees Santa Clara, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties and has been with the CDFG for 33 years, explained fish and game wardens frequently work undercover.
“It’s just like any law enforcement agency. When you’re working undercover, you do not have to identify yourself at all,” he said over the phone Tuesday.
Anyone who comes across a turkey vulture or a protected species off limits from hunting, he explained, should leave the creature alone. Possession is a violation with fines ranging from $50,000 to $150,000, he said.
Still, Nores’ handling of the situation has come under heavy fire by Filice – a factor Kelly said he couldn’t comment on since Nores is out of the office.
“I need to talk with him about it. I don’t have all of the questions answered that I have with regards to the entire situation. Nores is on vacation,” Kelly said.
Foy said he cannot confirm if Lt. Nores went undercover in this particular situation, but reiterated Kelly by confirming going undercover is common protocol for fish and game wardens.
“I did it two weeks ago with ‘Wild Justice,’ ” said Foy, who has also been featured on the show.
Foy is the only public information officer for the CDFG and the direct liaison between the CDFG and the show. He explained the program’s intention is to help educate the public about California’s fish and wildlife and the efforts wardens make to protect natural habitats.
Dara Klatt, director of communications for the National Geographic Channel, confirmed Foy was the best person to offer comment in terms of the involvement “Wild Justice” had with the turkey buzzard situation.
Filice said everything came to a head the evening of April 16 when Nores stopped by to pick up the deer head Filice was mounting for him. Nores arrived with another warden and a two-person camera crew in tow, Filice said.
“They just said they wanted to film me giving John his deer, and wanted to see what taxidermy was all about,” said Filice, who recalled everything was fine for about 20 minutes.
Filice agreed to sign a release.
That’s when, according to Filice, Nores’ demeanor changed as he inquired about the turkey vulture incident. Filice said the situation caused him to feel caught in the middle, incriminated and intimidated in his own home. Filice said Nores asked him if he purposefully violated Nores’ cover by calling the man with the vulture.
Filice said he responded to Nores’ inquiry, saying ‘You were supposed to call him as John Nores, California Department of Fish and Game, and that’s not what you did, and you put me in the middle of it, and that is unacceptable.’ ”
Calls and emails placed to Lt. Nores, who was out of town on vacation as of press time according to Capt. Kelly, were not returned.
Foy said some of Filice’s details were accurate, while others, according to what he had heard from Nores, were not.
“I can tell you (the incident) involves a turkey vulture, and the guy did call Mr. Filice to get the vulture mounted, which would not have been legal,” said Foy.
Foy confirmed the man involved in the investigation does not have the bird. Whether the man was a repeat offender, Foy did not know.
Last season Nores was one of the primary wardens “Wild Justice” crews shadowed for the show, Foy said.
“He did not call them and say ‘Hey, I have this turkey vulture thing going on, you want to go?’ said Foy. “They had planned on coming back this week, and that’s what he had going on.”
Filice is still frustrated by the crew’s visit to his house. He feels he was being accused of something he didn’t do, and wrote to Capt. Kelly concerning the incident.
“Don told me, ‘I read your letter, and it’s disturbing,’ ” said Filice. “He said, ‘I’m going get to the bottom of this. Would you mind if somebody even higher up than me interviewed you?’ ”
Filice said that would be fine.
Foy reiterated the CDFG cannot comment extensively as the case has not yet been filed and is still under investigation.
