Some 10 people said to be involved in a live-bird trading racket have been arrested after they were tracked down illegally selling specimens through an online auction site.

A golden plover. Photo: ShutterstockA golden plover. Photo: Shutterstock

The police confirmed that several weeks of investigation had come to a close and a number of people would be charged in court in the coming days.

Police sources said  dozens of birds were seized in a series of raids, after the sellers were monitored by officers for several days. The illegal traders were selling golden plovers, normally used as live decoys in bird trapping.

While it is not illegal to use the birds as live decoys, it is illegal to sell them once they have been captured. There are no importers of the species registered on the island and ornithologists contacted by Times of Malta said it is impossible to breed golden plovers in captivity.

More in Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com.

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