A poacher was caught red-handed by the police at 5am today, after a team from activists CABS reported that there was equipment set up to trap Oystercatchers and Redshanks - both protected species - near Żurrieq.
The ALE team arrived within minutes and managed to catch the trapper red-handed. The bird caller and two large clap nets were confiscated. According to CABS, the poacher is a repeat offender and will be taken to court soon.
Another group filmed a protected Honey Buzzard being shot down near Ħal-Far at 7:30am but in spite of the police arriving promptly, neither the poacher nor the dead bird could be retrieved. A video uploaded on the CABS Facebook page shows the bird flying low and then suddenly crumbling up as it is hit, and crashing to ground.