Two hunters were fined and had their licence suspended today after they were found guilty of hunting illegally.
The Magistrates' Court fined Stefan Bartolo, 28, of Mosta, €500 and ordered the confiscation of his shotgun and the suspension of his licence for a year after he admitted to killing a Black Kite, which is a protected bird, near Ta’ Qali last November.
He had shot at the bird from the middle of the road on a Sunday afternoon despite having been warned by a Malta Environment and Planning Authority official that the bird was protected.
21-year-old Yannic Fenech of Mosta was fined €460 and had his licence suspended for six months after he was found in possession of two freshly killed birds and a gun during the closed season in February.
He was arrested in the Salina area by policemen who followed him from Ta’ Qali.