A federal case filed with the Southern District of Alabama claims that a Mobile consignment shop has violated the Endangered Species Act. Prosecutors allege that Hertha’s Second Edition sold a coat made from Jaguar fur to a customer in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Hertha’s Second Edition describes themselves as “resale gone upscale.” According to their website, they are a luxury ladies consignment shop with locations in Mobile and Fairhope.
According the the World Wildlife Fund, jaguars are a near threatened species. Their main predators are humans who hunt them for their spotted coats or to protect cattle. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service defines “threatened” as a species that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The Endangered Species Act was adopted by Congress in 1973 and is designed to protect these threatened and endangered species.
The charge against Hertha’s Second Edition follows a similar case that was brought before a California court in March. According to McClatchy D.C. Bureau, San Francisco prosecutors charged Ann Hansen, owner of a vintage clothing shop, with nine misdemeanor counts of illegal possession for sale of an endangered species.
The case will be brought before the federal court in Mobile on Tuesday. The owners of the Mobile consignment shop could be charged with a felony punishable by up to a year in prison.
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