Trapper filmed crushing a protected bird under his boot

Updated 3.31pm with ADPD statement

An environmental NGO has released footage showing a trapper crushing a protected Kestrel under his boot in Gozo.

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), whose members witnessed the case, said the man was one of 13 bird trappers caught red-handed by police in the past 10 days.

Twenty sets of clap-nets as well as 56 live and three dead birds were found. The confiscated live birds - mostly Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Linnets and Siskins were taken to the government vet and are expected to be released soon. 

"A particularly severe punishment is looming for a man on Gozo who was filmed catching and killing a Kestrel (Spanjulett) – a strictly protected falcon species," the committee said.

It said its footage shows the man running towards the entangled bird and then crushing it to death with his boot. He then takes the dead bird and throws it into a bush.

“The footage is hard to watch and a cautionary example for the complete lack of empathy and compassion with which many poachers act”, CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said. 

The video, which was published on YouTube, also shows the man scrambling around on the ground and collecting cages after he realised that the police were going for him. CABS cameras also caught the moment when the man pretended to be in physical distress to distract the police from the fact that he was hiding evidence – probably an illegal bird calling machine - in a nearby bean field.  

Kestrels are listed in Schedule I of the Conservation of Wild Bird Regulations providing them with the highest level of protection under Maltese law. Once hunted almost to extinction, the species has made a moderate comeback in recent years, with some pairs irregularly breeding on Malta and Gozo.   

CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows thanked the police for their quick response and good cooperation in the field.

“Most of the officers did a good job and we are confident that all cases we have reported will go to court”, Burrows said. 

However, CABS criticised what it described as the Maltese government’s “decades-long indifference” towards the dark underbelly of animal cruelty and illegal bird trade across the archipelago.

It called for an immediate end to all government-sanctioned trapping derogations - saying they were legal smokescreens for poachers who fuel the black market with wild-caught birds.“The narrative of the ‘harmless old trapper who just wants to enjoy his past’ is a myth,” Hirschfeld added.

CABS said its teams will be present in Malta and Gozo until the end of the bird migration season in May.

'This is cruelty in its purest form' - Birdlife

Birdlife Malta expressed its disgust and condemnation of the filmed brutal act documented.

"While we have long stated that hunting and trapping wild birds is inherently cruel, what we witnessed today goes far beyond that. This is not an isolated incident. It once again exposes a deeply troubling reality of individuals who believe they hold absolute power over our natural wildlife -power they abuse to the point of crushing birds under their feet until they die," the NGO said.

"This is cruelty in its purest form. It is not only a conservation issue, but also a serious animal welfare concern that should shock society as a whole."

The NGO called on the nation to stand up and express its disgust.

"Malta has reached a point where respect for nature and basic decency towards wildlife are eroding before our eyes. Let us be clear: this is not tradition. This is not science. This is nothing but cruelty, driven by unrestrained egoism and a distorted sense of entitlement."

BirdLife said the incident stripped away any greenwashing attempts by the hunting lobby, which in recent years has tried to portray itself as a community of animal lovers.

Police unable to cope – ADPD

The ADPD called on the government to “immediately prioritise” biodiversity, environmental protection, and international law, as it “unreservedly condemned this senseless act of cruelty” against the bird.

In a statement on Tuesday, ADPD official Mark Zerafa pointed out the police “cannot cope” with the “blatant” law breaking in the countryside and are working “under great pressure”.

He added the incident “clearly shows the need for increased surveillance in the countryside through more specialised police officers with the full support and resources they require”.

He remarked that hunters and trappers feel they are “above the law”.

“Despite what the law provides, as well as warnings from the European Commission against trapping, the government has continued to allow this practice and has even validated it by issuing new licences; this creates a sense of impunity among many trappers and hunters, who feel they are above the law,” Zerafa said.