Updated 12.45pm - Added video 

Six poachers were convicted of breaking bird trapping laws in court this week, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter said on Friday. 

The guilty men, who were all reported to the police by CABS, were fined and had their hunting and trapping licences suspended, the NGO said in a statement. 

In one case, three men were filmed in March 2017 trapping finches with a clap net in Fomm ir-Riħ. The men hid their faces until leaving the trapping site, but police were still able to identify them. They were fined €1,600 each and lost their licences for three years. 

Another trapper was hauled to court after CABS volunteers discovered a trapping site being used to illegally trap golden plovers at San Martin. Volunteers also discovered the man selling the birds online. He was fined €700 and had his licence suspended for two years. 

A bird trapper in Burmarrad was fined €1,000 and lost his licence for two years after a court convicted him of trapping golden plovers at night in December 2016, CABS said, while a seixth case saw a bird trapper in Magħtab convicted for trapping finches without the necessary permits in November 2016. He was fined "€1,000 and lost his licence for two years.  

One of the poachers wore a skull mask to avoid being recognised. Photo: CABSOne of the poachers wore a skull mask to avoid being recognised. Photo: CABS

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