Lm200 fine for shooting honey buzzard

A hunter who had been charged with shooting at a honey buzzard, a protected bird of prey, in May 2002 was yesterday fined Lm200 by the Magistrates' Court.

Peter Paul Delia, 30, of Zabbar, pleaded guilty to shooting at the protected bird.

Delia had been charged with eight other hunters following a widespread massacre of honey buzzards.

Inspectors Alexander Miruzzi and Morgan Azzopardi had testified that the police were inundated with reports about large birds of prey being shot down especially in the south and that there were many hunters shooting even from the main road leading to Marsascala.

The policemen who were sent witnessed a large massacre of honey buzzards.

"There was a flagrant breach of the law and some 900 protected birds were killed in a short span of time. The situation was so chaotic that the police could not cope and the army was called in to assist. Some hunters were shooting at protected birds even in the presence of the police," Insp. Miruzzi said.

Dr José Herrera appeared for Delia.