The Gozo police and the Committee Against Bird Slaughter have dismantled two large illegal trapping sites near Sarraflu (limits of Kerċem) and Sannat.

Three sets of clap nets, a live sandpiper as well as several plastic decoys for protected bird species were seized during the operation earlier this week.

According to CABS, one trapper was filmed red-handed while he was actively trapping waders with a live decoy and an illegal bird caller imitating protected greenshanks.

The video footage clearly showed the face of the man and was passed on to the Gozo police as evidence.

CABS said that since the start of its anti-wader trapping operations in July, a total of 26 active trapping sites have been reported to the police.

Last week, CABS volunteers discovered a giant illegal bird trap at Ta’ Qali, in the form of an empty and abandoned 40-metre-long reservoir.

On the bottom of the reservoir, trappers had set up five vertical mist nets and several plastic bird decoys around a puddle of water.

CABS wildlife crime officer Fiona Burrows had explained that installations posed a huge threat to birds, and often other wildlife such as hedgehogs and snakes, which became entangled and died.

In previous years, she had added, many fewer sites had been detected.

This increase in trapping sites for waders demonstrated a worrying upward trend in illegal trapping in a country where some of these species are trying to breed.

Last month, the government controversially announced it will be allowing autumn finch trapping.

It had said that following the recommendations of the Ornis Committee, the government will be applying two derogations to permit the capture and keeping of seven finch species.