I'm being preyed upon, investigated falconer claims

A falconry centre owner under investigation for allegedly keeping birds of prey illegally yesterday claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy.

When pressed to say who was behind this supposed conspiracy, he said it was "certain people or NGOs" who had a hidden agenda and were set on "framing him".

Earlier this month, 15 protected raptors were seized from his falconry centre in the limits of Siġġiewi, during a joint raid between the police Administrative Law Enforcement unit and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Even though no charges have been pressed against him, the police had said that the birds, some of which were injured, were confiscated because the falconry centre did not have the necessary documents to prove their origin.

He is also being investigated in connection with allegedly keeping birds that did not have the rings and markings required by Mepa. The confiscated raptors have since been sent to a rehabilitation centre in Sicily.

During a tour for the press at his falconry centre yesterday, Rene Scicluna defended himself. He said he had applied for the necessary permits with the authority to release the birds in the wild.

When asked whether he had a license, Mr Scicluna said he had a zoo licence, which allows him to have a clinic on site, where he used to tend to the birds that were confiscated.

In fact, previously, Mr Scicluna had insisted that people had taken the unmarked injured birds to him for him to treat.

BirdLife Malta insisted that it was evident that he had no intention of releasing the wild protected birds kept illegally in captivity, especially after Mr Scicluna admitted with the police that most of the birds had been at the centre for over a year.

The conservation group said it was not against the falconry centre but against birds of prey being kept illegally.

It also refuted a claim by Mr Scicluna that he had tried to coordinate the treatment of the birds with Birdlife.

During the press tour, Mr Scicluna said he met BirdLife Malta president Joseph Mangion and briefly mentioned his wish to chip the captive birds.

Earlier he had spoken about the birds' release to a government veterinarian during a routine inspection, Mr Scicluna said and expressed his wish to install a tracking system, using a chip, on all the birds.

However, when he mentioned his wishes to Mr Mangion the latter abruptly cut him short "and two weeks later the police arrived at the falconry centre for an inspection".

"We have been left without an answer and people are trying to mudsling us. Mepa needs to be more balanced towards people like me and NGOs need to collaborate more," he added.

BirdLife denied categorically that Mr Mangion had spoken to Mr Scicluna about releasing the captured birds in the wild.

"If Mr Scicluna had said anything about any wild protected birds in his possession I would have immediately warned him that it was illegal to keep them and that he should contact the authorities." Mr Mangion said.