Three more prosecutions following CABS reports

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) today welcomed the sentence against a hunter who was filmed by the NGO while he was hunting close to Salina before the start of the hunting season in April.

The man was fined €1,000 and has his hunting licence revoked for a period of 2 years. The man was apprehended by the police after CABS filmed him with a loaded shotgun and an illegal bird caller.

In two separate cases two bird trappers from Bingemma and Zejtun were fined €1,000 each for illegally trapping protected birds in April and July.

Also in these cases CABS made the reports to the police and provided video and photo evidence. One of these two trappers - Larner Polidano, 46, of Kirkop is a repeat offender who was found guilty of being in posession of 41 stuffed protected birds including 10 Night Herons, several Short-eared Owls, a Pallid Harrier and a Merlin falcon back in 2007.

"We are happy that the man was found guilty but taking into account that he is a repeat offender a €1,000 fine sents out the wrong message. It can be regarded more as a licence fee for his illegal activity than a severe punishment," CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said.

CABS also criticised that the trapping licence of the man was not revoked despite him being a repeat offender.