Gozitan hunter handed €8,000 fine, permanent hunting ban for shooting protected species

A court has permanently withdrawn one Gozitan hunter’s hunting licence and fined him €8,000 after finding him guilty of hunting protected birds.

21-year-old Nathaniel Agius, of Sannat, was also found guilty of being in possession of live and dead protected birds, some of which were embalmed and all in breach of regulations.

Agius was arrested after police, acting on an anonymous tip-off, found specimens of Marsh Sandpipers and Spotted Crakes, both protected species, at his home in February.

In his sentence, Magistrate Joseph Mifsud said he wanted to make it clear that, whilst he had no objection to hunters enjoying their rights - stressing that the majority of them do so responsibly and lawfully - he was not going to tolerate any criminal acts, affirming that “hunters have no right to kill protected species for pleasure or gain.”

The magistrate emphasised the collective right to the enjoyment of nature, adding that "the majority of the population see nothing of beauty in a stuffed bird.”

Noting that Agius had not assisted the police in their investigations, nor helped identify the taxidermist, the court said it felt the case ought to serve as a warning to all responsible hunters who might consider not cooperating with the police to catch their irresponsible brethren.

Even after being handed the stiff fine and having his licence revoked, Agius is not yet out of the woods, In addition to the fine and revocation of his licence, the court noted that he had given false testimony and ordered a transcript of his deposition and that of the prosecuting officers be sent to the commissioner of police for further action.