Smithsonian's Renaissance man admits feathering his own nest

[LiviaOlivia]

Sydney Morning Herald

By David Rennie in Washington
January 23, 2004

The head of America's largest and grandest museum network, the Smithsonian Institution, is to plead guilty to wildlife trafficking charges after endangered bird feathers were found in his private collection.

Lawrence Small, a wealthy former banker, was hailed as a "Renaissance man" when he became the first businessman to head the Smithsonian four years ago. A glowing tribute in the Smithsonian Magazine noted his talents as a flamenco guitarist, his fluency in four languages and - above all - his "breathlessly beautiful" collection of Amazonian tribal artefacts. Unfortunately for Small, ornithologists scanning the magazine thought they saw remnants of some of the Amazon's rarest birds.

The US Government Fish and Wildlife Service opened two investigations amid concerns that the 1000-piece collection might also contain the teeth of rare cats.

The first inquiry ended in March 2001 after Small produced import permits and written assurances that there was nothing illegal in his collection housed in a Washington flat converted into a private museum. He bought most of the collection in 1998 from a private dealer who signed a legal guarantee that the objects contained nothing endangered.

<snip>


This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/22/1074732543054.html

[baby_bear]

1. Not going to lose his job? Huh?

<snip>
Small was not likely to lose his job or be fined or jailed, after surrendering his collection to the Government, the Smithsonian said. He was to plead guilty to a "one-count, non-intentional misdemeanour violation" this week.
</snip>

Someone want to explain that to me?

s_m

[Rex]

2. He votes R

Voting R and being rich/connected means never having to say you're sorry.

[xchrom]

3. this riles me to no end

he is not a museum professional -- he's a businessman. with the attendant ethics. no, not all business people are bad -- but many, many are not going to have the sophisticated ethics and sensibilities to be in his position.
feh

[MountainLaurel]

4. A kick

For the 101 ways Small has been ruining the Smithsonian, including the National Zoo.

[bobbieinok]

5. have seen nothing about this.......some info/links?

..

[LiviaOlivia]

6. Additional link from archaeology.org

http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=online/features/smithsonian/small

[LiviaOlivia]

7. Washington Post story link also

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37118-2004Jan21.html