• RMD Observations/flickr
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    9. ILLEGAL EGG THEFT

    Illegal egg theft is an unusual wildlife crime in that its perpetrators aren’t generally looking to turn a profit. They’re mostly hobbyists. They collect rare eggs like other people collect stamps or coins. Except collecting rare stamps and coins doesn’t threaten the populations of whole species. A rare bird means a rare egg, and many collectors wouldn’t think twice about snatching a specimen for themselves if given the opportunity, even though they know full well that taking such an egg means harming the reproductive opportunities of already struggling animals. Egg collecting was a fairly traditional childhood hobby in the U.K. until 1954, when the Protection of Birds Act put a stop to the fun. Yet, a small but determined number of collectors continue on: Just last week, a U.K. man was convicted of stealing hundreds of eggs, all belonging to protected species. (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)