Malta’s Most Notorious Wildlife Offenders Has Been Convicted Once Again

One of Malta’s most prolific wildlife offenders has been convicted once again, following the discovery of an extensive illegal collection of protected live birds.

The sentencing was delivered today by the Law Courts in Valletta in a case stemming from an incident on 20 September 2022, when the police responded to a report from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) regarding illegal bird trapping in Għaxaq.

Upon inspection of the site, officers discovered an active clap-net, several aviaries, and 137 live protected birds, including:16 Green Sandpipers, , 16 Common Sandpipers, 16 Wood Sandpipers, 13 Little Ringed Plovers, 9 Little Stints, 5 Common Ringed Plovers, 3 Black Winged Stilt, 2 Temminck’s Stint, 1 Greenshank, 1 Red Throated Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail and more than 50 finches of different species.

The man is well known to the authorities and conservation organisations. In 2002, he served a prison sentence for the illegal killing of seven protected Mute Swans in St. Thomas Bay an act carried out using a speedboat to chase down the exhausted birds.

He was also reported by CABS in both April 2017 and August 2019 for illegal trapping and hunting during closed seasons.

Also found on-site were several stuffed bird trophies. Officials from the Wild Bird Regulation Unit (WBRU) were called to assist and confirmed that the majority of the birds lacked the necessary documentation or breeding rings, in violation of Malta’s conservation laws.

“This is one of the largest illegal collections of live birds ever seized on the island.” said Fiona Burrows, Wildlife Crime Officer at CABS, who also testified during the court proceedings.

Faced with overwhelming evidence, the defendant pleaded guilty to most charges and was handed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with a €1,000 fine.

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