A man charged with shooting down a flamingo at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on Saturday has been granted bail.

Carl Sant, 31, was tracked down by police based on videos taken from the site at Qalet Marku after people in the area reported that a man had shot a flamingo, a protected species, and subsequently retrieved the bird from the sea. 

The hunter then left the area in a car.

After combing through those videos and speaking to four eyewitnesses, police identified the suspect as Sant. He was arrested on Sunday morning. 

On Monday afternoon, Sant was charged with hunting the protected bird in breach of the Wild Birds Conservation Regulations and other related legislation. 

He pleaded not guilty and requested bail. 

Prosecuting Inspector Elliot Magro objected, highlighting the fact that flamingos were internationally protected birds and that a number of civilians were still to testify. 

However, defence lawyer Franco Debono rebutted that those witnesses were unknown to the accused. He also cast doubt on the validity of the videos cited by the prosecution, saying they did not show anyone shooting, and noted that the bird in question had not been found. 

The prosecution also had not carried out an identification parade but relied on eyewitnesses’ descriptions and the videos, he said, adding that his client had a fixed job and daughter and was presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

Sant’s other defence lawyer, Alex Miruzzi, added that the charges referred to one bird and moreover, in a recent appeal judgment in criminal proceedings against Miguel Zammit, Mr Justice Neville Camilleri declared that flamingos were of least concern. 

In similar cases resulting in convictions, our courts have handed down pecuniary penalties. 

After hearing submissions Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia upheld the request, granting bail against a third party guarantee for €10,000 by a relative of the accused, signing the bail book twice weekly and under a curfew between midnight and 5:00am.