Allan Farrugia

The hunters’ federation has issued a life ban to Allan Farrugia, who yesterday admitted in court to shooting an eagle, which is protected.

In a statement, the federation (FKNK) said that following the court decision based on an admission of guilt by Mr Farrugia, it urgently convened its disciplinary board to take appropriate action.

“In view of the nature of the incident and the extremely serious consequences that this has caused both in terms of wildlife destruction and also in terms of the ongoing efforts of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation - Malta (FKNK) to curtail all illegalities connected with hunting the board has decided to cancel Mr Farrugia's membership for life.

“Targeting a single specimen is a big blow to the conservation efforts made across Europe to safeguard the existence and increase the population numbers of these birds. Furthermore, this was not a one-time illegal act by Mr Farrugia; he is a self-confessed repeat offender.

“These facts, among others, necessitated a decision that went beyond what the local courts decided to impose in terms of deprivation of hunting licence,” the FKNK said.