A young tile-layer who shot a protected stork was yesterday banned for life from hunting, fined €5,000, barred from owning a licence to carry a firearm for four years and also given a suspended jail term.
Julian Tanti, 26, from St Julian’s admitted to 15 counts of hunting-related charges including shooting a protected bird on Tuesday, trespassing, illegally carrying a firearm, firing a gun in an inhabited area and using equipment to mimic bird sounds.
Birdlife Malta said the white stork, which was shot over Marsa, had been bred in Udine, Italy, as part of a re-introduction scheme. It was the first time the bird was migrating south to Africa.
Mr Tanti, who was assisted by lawyer Giannella de Marco, appeared before Magistrate Doreen Clarke.
In a statement issued within an hour of sentencing, the police said they would be appealing the decision.
A man was arrested yesterday after allegedly being spotted shooting at a stork in Ta’ Qali also on Tuesday.
Birdlife Malta said that a group of white storks arrived on Monday. Three of the flock were seen to have coloured rings on their legs. Through the rings, birdwatchers were able to establish that the bird shot at Marsa had arrived from the Oasi Dei Quadira Wildlife Sanctuary in Fagagna, Udine, in the north of Italy, a centre specifically set up by the local community to help storks repopulate the area.
Both shot storks were confirmed as being juveniles hatched at the centre in June within nests close to each other. They were last seen in the area on September 9 before embarking on their migration, Birdlife Malta said.
Bruno Dentesani, scientific ringer at the Wildlife Sanctuary, said a huge effort had been made in assisting the storks to repopulate Udine. “This is a loss of great significance because we would have expected the bird to return to Fagagna in a few years to breed. This was their first migration. I’m very sad to hear the news,” he said.
Birdlife appealed to the public to report any sightings to the police on 119 and the organisation on 2134 7644. It also thanked members of the public who kept both the organisation and the police updated on the storks’ movements.