Two individuals were recently found guilty in Court and each was fined €3,000. One received a lifetime ban from trapping, while the other was handed a lifetime hunting ban.

The sentences followed successful prosecutions based on evidence gathered by BirdLife Malta’s conservation team, it said.

The organisation said in the first case, a trapper was caught illegally trapping finches during the closed season at Fomm ir-Rih in March 2025. The BirdLife Malta team detected electronic finch callers, as well as live decoy birds placed on the ground by active clap nets.

BirdLife Malta said that although the suspect initially fled the scene wearing a camouflage balaclava, the evidence gathered by BirdLife Malta and passed on to the Police led to the trapper being successfully identified and prosecuted.

A second trapper, who was sitting in the hide with the first offender, was also convicted in connection with the same case. He was fined €1,800 and banned from holding a trapping licence for three years.

BirdLife Malta said that in the second case, a hunter was caught in Zejtun hunting before the spring hunting season had officially opened in April 2025. ”Our team found him sitting in a hunting hide with a shotgun, using classic Turtle-dove hunting tactics, including rattling cans hung from trees to flush out any birds that may be perched on the branches before shooting at them.”

”These cases highlight a simple fact: while most people respect the law, some continue to ignore regulations designed to protect both nature and the public’s right to enjoy the countryside safely and peacefully outside the open hunting and trapping seasons,” stated BirdLife Malta.

Photo: BirdLife Malta

Permalink: €3,000 fines and lifetime hunting and trapping bans for wildlife offences – BLM