Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiThe hunter who admitted shooting an eagle and possessing 75 stuffed protected birds has been banned for life by the hunting federation.
Allan Farrugia, 24, of Birkirkara, admitted to 13 hunting related charges in court on Friday.
His case received widespread publicity because 14 protected eagles had been confirmed killed by hunters in recent days.
An injured booted eagle that survived the onslaught was yesterday sent to Sicily yesterday for rehabilitation.
Mr Farrugia killed a short-toed eagle near to Siġġiewi last Wednesday.
The FKNK said that it urgently convened its disciplinary board following the court verdict.
It slapped Mr Farrugia with a lifetime ban due to the “extremely serious consequences this has caused in terms of wildlife destruction and the ongoing efforts of the FKNK to curtail all hunting illegalities”.
The FKNK also noted that the species targeted was under pressure from “man-made obstacles and other farming practices, and thus does not enjoy a conservation status that can withstand hunting”. Targeting a single short-toed eagle was a big blow to conservation efforts across Europe to safeguard the species and increase the population, the FKNK said. The federation also took note of the fact that Mr Farrugia was a self-confessed repeat offender.
The court had fined Mr Farrugia €4,600, banned him from hunting for three years and confiscated two guns and his car, which was deemed to be an accessory to the offence.
Although eagles were targeted at several locations around Malta and Gozo, the FKNK and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights describe the shootings as “isolated” incidents.
There were no confirmed reports of protected birds being killed yesterday.
Last Friday, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights published amendments to the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations in a Legal Notice. These amendments had been prepared in the preceding weeks in consultation with key stakeholders.
The law changes stipulate stiffer fines for hunting offences, including a doubling of the minimum fines.
Pigeons targeted
A Valletta resident turned up at the newspaper’s offices yesterday with two dead pigeons he claimed were the latest victims of a gunman who regularly shot the birds in St Ursula Street and St Nicholas Street.
The man, who did not wish to be named, appealed for anyone with information on the shooter to contact Valletta police, who were investigating.
He added that he had found metal ball bearings on the street which he believed were fired from the gunman’s weapon.
The man also said that the shootings had been happening for around three years and several birds a day were targeted. Even cats had been shot on occasion, the man claimed.