This morning a hunter was apprehended by the police after he was filmed by BirdLife Malta volunteers hunting illegally.
BirdLife said that the man shot and killed a Turtle Dove, while also using another live bird as a decoy at Santa Katerina in Rabat (Malta). He was later filmed picking up the bird.
Turtle Doves are protected at this time of year, the hunting season is also now closed.
The NGO added that “daily illegal hunting incidents had been reported in the same area over the past few days.”
Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) officials were called in, and after having been shown the footage, they managed to apprehend the culprit who will soon face charges on various counts of illegal hunting, BirdLife said.
Meanwhile the Police also called Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) officials to identify the Turtle Dove. The live decoy was released.
BirdLife Malta encourated members of the public to call 119 and BirdLife Malta whenever shots are heard.
Photograph by BirdLife Malta
1 Comment To "Police apprehend man filmed shooting and killing a Turtle Dove"
#1 Comment By george palmer On May 4, 2017 @ 2:22 pm
And are the hunting federation going to withdraw his membership? I doubt it. The silence on the issue will be deafening. I hope the media names and shames him and the courts sieze and destroy all his weapons and fine him a fortune. Neanderthal knuckle dragger.