Two illegal trappers and a hunter have been convicted in separate court cases following investigations by BirdLife Malta’s conservation team, resulting in thousands of euros in fines and long-term hunting and trapping bans.In the first case, a trapper was fined €3,000 and handed a lifetime ban on trapping after being caught illegally trapping finches during the closed season at Fomm ir-Riħ in March 2025.According to BirdLife Malta, its conservation team discovered electronic finch callers and live decoy birds positioned beside active clap nets. The suspect allegedly fled the scene wearing a camouflage balaclava, but evidence collected by the team and passed on to the police ultimately led to his identification, prosecution and conviction.A second trapper who was inside the hide with the first offender was also convicted. He was fined €1,800 and banned from holding a trapping licence for three years.In a separate case, a hunter was fined €3,000 and given a lifetime hunting ban after he was caught hunting in Żejtun before the 2025 spring hunting season had officially opened.BirdLife Malta said its team found the hunter inside a hide with a shotgun while allegedly using traditional turtle dove hunting methods, including rattling cans suspended from trees to flush birds from nearby branches before shooting them.Commenting on the convictions, BirdLife Malta said the cases demonstrate the importance of enforcement during the closed hunting and trapping seasons.“While most people respect the law, some continue to ignore regulations designed to protect both nature and the public’s right to enjoy the countryside safely and peacefully outside the open hunting and trapping seasons,” the organisation said.BirdLife Malta added that the successful prosecutions were made possible through evidence gathered by its conservation team and submitted to the Malta Police Force.What do you make of this?Credit: BirdLife Malta•