Police find a collection of dead protected birds in Mosta shop

Over 53 dead birds, most of which are protected by law, have been discovered inside a shop and a residence in Mosta.

The Administrative Law Enforcement unit said in a statement that a number of these dead birds had been refrigerated for stuffing.

At around noon on Saturday, a man was spotted entering a shop on Triq Guzeppi Callus in Mosta holding what looked like a dead eagle.

Police immediately stormed the shop and found 53 dead birds inside a fridge at the end of the shop, mostly eagles, storks and ducks.

In a separate search made inside a Mosta house, belonging to the 32-year-old man, some undeclared amount of birds were found here too.

Earlier this week, Birdlife Malta claimed that out of a flock of 15 rare and highly-protected Short-toed Eagles (Ajkla Bajda), only one of them likely survived a shooting spree in Buskett. 

All the man's bird carcasses were confiscated and the man is being held for questioning.

Police investigations continue.