Poachers fined for shooting eagle - BirdLife welcomes verdict

Two poachers were today convicted of the killing of a rare Lesser-spotted Eagle in Buskett last September. The shooter was fined €2,500. His shotgun was confiscated and his hunting licence was suspended for a year. An accomplice was fined €1,800 and also had his hunting licence suspended for a year.

The shooting occurred on September 28 when the two men were observed by a BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp team stalking the roosting Lesser-spotted Eagle and shooting it inside the bird sanctuary. One of the poachers was later filmed by the volunteers hiding the dead protected bird under his shirt and then stashing it by the side of the road.

The poachers were apprehended by the police ALE mobile squad who arrived on the scene shortly after the Raptor Camp volunteers reported the crime.

A later search of one of the poacher's premises revealed a further 15 undeclared protected birds in his collection, the court was told.

BirdLife Malta welcomed the court verdict and said the law courts had an important role in controlling illegal hunting and trapping.

"We have recently started to see a positive trend in court sentences for poachers convicted of wildlife crimes this year, with fines increasing and penalties beginning to match the seriousness of the offences. Serious penalties like in today's case, coupled with a dedicated wildlife crime unit, is the only way to put an end to these wildlife crimes in Malta." said Geoffrey Saliba, BirdLife Malta Campaigns Coordinator.