Hunter targets white storks, one killed

Police officers have arrested a young man believed to have shot down one of the white storks that were resting in Malta before continuing on their migratory route.

One of the magnificent birds was shot dead earlier this afternoon in a field behind the Edible Oil Refinery Company factory in Marsa. Two off-duty police inspectors and an off-duty police constable, who were nearby, heard the shots being fired and saw one of the birds going down.

The three officers ran towards the field and chased a young man who, upon seeing them, fled. The man, from St Julian's, was arrested and handed over to the ALE police officers, alerted to the incident by the off-duty officers.

The dead bird, and the gun used by the man who allegedly shot the stork, were also handed over to the ALE.