A man linked to an international bird poaching racket has had his taxidermy licence suspended and been slapped with a fine. 

Mario Ellul, 69, of Żurrieq, was this week found guilty of breaching a number of wildlife protection rules. He was fined €6,000 and had his licence to stuff birds suspended for two years.   

Ellul was among five arrested in 2019 when the police carried out at a series of raids on a group of suspected poachers linked to the killing of large protected species in Malta and abroad. 

The raids, all carried out on the same August weekend, had yielded more than 700 dead protected birds in what was described as the largest haul in years. 

From eagles to egrets and even flamingos, the dead birds were found wrapped in plastic and stuffed into multiple freezers in homes and makeshift workshops.

More than 700 dead protected birds were confiscated by authorities in 2019 in what they said was the largest such haul in six years.

Police officers and officials from the environment watchdog ERA had been investigating the group, believed to organise hunting trips abroad and that was flagged by international investigators.

The group travels to Egypt, sub-Saharan African and eastern Europe to hunt large protected birds which are then trafficked into Malta. 

Maltese poaching trips in Egyptian national parks have in recent years been singled out by the authorities there for having a devastating impact on protected species and links to the illegal guns trade and bribery of park officials.

Ellul and his associates also offer taxidermy services for the specimens. 

He was charged with breaking a long list of environmental and wildlife regulations as well as holding specimens which had not been registered with the authorities. 

He was also charged with not holding the proper certificates for his specimens. 

There are more than 500,000 certificates for stuffed birds that were issued by the authorities in two separate election-eve amnesties in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Certificates used to legitimise illegally shot birds

However, weak inspections to verify these certificates left an opening for poachers looking to legitimise the large birds shot down during their hunting trips to North Africa and the Sahel.

These certificates, in many cases handwritten chits, are meant to cover birds shot several years, if not decades ago.

Police sources say they are often sold to collectors who use them to legitimise birds shot illegally today. 

Ellul is no stranger to the authorities. Sources said he had been repeatedly caught travelling into the country with protected birds and searches of his property over the years have yielded hundreds of stuffed or dead protected birds. 

Meanwhile, court action against Ellul’s associates, including his son, is still ongoing.