A man out walking his dog ended up in a physical altercation with a bird trapper, with the Malta Ranger Unit (MRU) saying the alleged victim suffered grievous injuries in the incident.
Footage of the incident was published by the MRU on Monday evening, with the rangers saying the altercation happened at a trapping site where they had reported the illegal trapping of Golden Plovers, as well as illegal bird callers being used at all hours of the night in December.
The footage shows a man dressed in camo gear walking aggressively towards the person filming and shouting “Why do you record me” at the alleged victim.
The victim barely has time to respond “You know there’s people coming”, before the camera is sent hurtling downwards, capturing nothing but landscape as the sounds of a struggle and people shouting can be heard off-screen.
The man in camo is then heard saying “Go tell him police” and “Call the police” before giving the dog walker his name and storming off.
According to the MRU, the victim had to seek medical attention and a CT scan revealed he had suffered grievous injuries to his face, with fractures found in his facial bones. They added that surgery may be needed for the injury to heal correctly.
The MRU said that the dog walker had been compelled to film as the trapper had allegedly already been behaving aggressively towards him and wanted to safeguard himself against any crime that may be committed.
The same man seen in this footage was reported by the MRU for illegal trapping back in December and was eventually caught “red-handed” by the police, the rangers said, with the trapper now facing a court sitting where he risks losing his licence as well as a hefty fine if found guilty.
The rangers said they were releasing the footage with the victim's consent to showcase the “impunity” with which environmental criminals often acted, adding this is why it is important to speak up and document such crimes.
“The environmental criminals have enjoyed impunity for decades due to the lack of willingness from decision-makers to tackle such crimes, leaving our environment to degrade and the crimes increasing,” they said.
“They have not yet dared to take a strong stand against poaching, seemingly scared that the hunters would feel targeted and votes being lost. In reality, this shouldn't be the case, because although all poachers are hunters, not all hunters are poachers. Standing up against all types of illegalities is not a choice of the politicians, but their duty as public servants.”
They urged authorities and police to act swiftly on the matter.