Trappers more likely to be acquitted in Gozo, CABS insists

● Group unveils 10 cases of illegal bird trapping since mid-August

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) yesterday said its members had discovered no less than ten illegal trapping sites since mid-August. It also said that there was a considerable difference in the way cases were dealt with in Malta and Gozo.

In a statement, CABS said that illegal trapping was still taking place, despite an imminent decision by the European Court of Justice on the future of finch trapping in Malta.

“In the last six weeks members of the organisation have conducted a special investigation to combat the ongoing illegal trapping of protected waders and other migratory birds on Malta. Despite the trapping season being closed, the teams have discovered a total of 10 trapping sites with active clap nets since mid-August.”

The group said that most of the sites were located in the south, with four very large sites found in the fields around Żurrieq and Safi alone. CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows said: “Nearly all of them use illegal bird callers, which can sometimes be heard over a distance of kilometers.” She added that two trappers were caught red-handed by the ALE after being alerted by CABS. Two sets of clap nets and two illegal bird callers were seized as evidence. CABS said that two men are expected to be taken to court for illegal trapping of protected oystercatchers, redshanks and dotterels.

The other eight sites have been reported to the police with their exact locations and photos of the nets. It is not yet known what action the authorities have taken. CABS said that its efforts have led to at least 21 successful prosecutions for illegal bird trapping over the last three years, with fines ranging from €500 to €7,000 and a total of 16 trapping licences being revoked by the courts.

“These are only the cases we know about because our team members were summoned as witnesses by the magistrate,” CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said, adding that he had observed considerable difference in the handling of cases between the law courts in Malta and Gozo.

“The chances of a trapper being acquitted or receiving a reduced fine are more likely if the case is heard in Gozo,” he charged.

“CABS finds it most shocking that this year alone several cases have been acquitted by the court in Rabat, despite CABS video footage clearly showing the defendants operating the nets and using live decoy birds in the closed season.”

Hirschfeld said some of those arraigned had been acquitted simply because CABS members could not attend court. “The court was informed via the lawyer that they were unable to attend; however, the magistrate decided to hear the cases without the key witnesses and later acquitted the defendants.”

Other Gozo cases were due to be heard in September, as stated on the summons, but CABS later found out that these had been heard in July, when its members had not been informed of the changed dates.

“Yesterday, in the Gozo court, a finch trapper was fined €500 for illegally trapping finches during the closed season in spring. The case was filmed and reported to the police by a CABS team monitoring the countryside near Qala in March 2017. The court also decided to suspend the defendant’s trapping and the hunting licence and confiscate his hunting weapons for two years. Three CABS members were summoned as witnesses and attended court from abroad, but none were asked to testify,” CABS said, adding that travel expenses for foreign witnesses summoned by the court are three times the actual fine.