Since the start of March, Rangers from the Malta Ranger Unit in Gozo have caught another two individuals trapping in the closed season.

The MRU Rangers said that they “continue to have a great presence in Gozo. On World Wildlife Day, another individual was caught red-handed trapping finches although the season is closed at the end of 2023.”

The Rangers said that “once the man realised that the Police were approaching him, he ran away across the fields. However, thanks to the alert Officers he was caught and made to go back on site.”

6 decoys (plastic birds), nets and poles, electronic callers and several live birds in cages, were all items were confiscated by Victoria District Police.

A court case is now to be scheduled and MRU said that it will update on the outcome of this case.

The MRU Rangers gave thanks to the two Malta Police Officers “who did a great job to safeguard the Gozitan wildlife on that day.”The second case was in an area in the North East of Gozo, when the MRU Rangers said that an individual was spotted with nets on the ground and finches in cages.

The Rangers, in collaboration with BirdLife Malta, documented the crime on site. MRU said that with the trapping season being closed, “the illegal act was reported immediately to the Victoria District Police who swiftly reported on site.”

The MRU stated that “the trapper was caught red-handed whilst trapping and although trying to get away, the Police apprehended the individual and the site was dismantled.”

The court case is now to be scheduled. “We wish to take this opportunity to thank the Officer and Sergeant for their service, knowing that Gozo still is without an Environmental Protection Unit Police and therefore environmental cases aren’t easy to deal with on top of the District cases,” the MRU said.

The MRU Rangers said that its work continues with “very regular monitoring of environmental crimes in Gozo such as dumping of waste, littering, illegal construction and poaching/illegal trapping. Impunity will be fought and the environment will be safeguarded.”

The Rangers warned that “the next couple of weeks are anticipated to be hectic in terms of environmental illegalities; illegal trapping, poaching, burning of waste and illegal fires being some of them. It’s also a time when, with nicer weather, more people are enjoying the countryside.”

Any environmental illegalities, or concerns in this regard, may be reported to the MRU Rangers via WhatsApp 79378118.

Photos MRU: Top – Trapper seen with the trapping nets being removed under surveillance by Police; and 6 decoys, with the net shown in the background. Below: Finch trapper caught in North East of Gozo

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