Police crack down on illegal bird hunting in Veneto
Police apprehend 22 poachers. 961 dead animals, weapons, plucking machines and 6,400 rounds of ammunition seized in raids.
Staff from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and a special unit of the Italian police have joined forces over the past 10 days to combat illegal hobby hunting and the trade in migratory birds in the Veneto region.
22 hobby hunters caught in the act
The focus of the operations was the lagoons south of Venice, where hundreds of thousands of waterbirds from northern and central Europe are currently overwintering. During the operation, 22 hobby hunters were caught in the act of shooting protected species or hobby hunting using prohibited decoy devices. In addition, 21 shotguns, 6,400 rounds of ammunition, nine prohibited electronic decoy devices and three professional poultry plucking machines were seized.
961 frozen wild birds confiscated
A search of a butcher's shop in Padua, which was being supplied by the poachers under investigation, led to the confiscation of 961 frozen wild birds, including gadwalls, pochards, teals, pintails, shovelers and white-fronted geese. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the suspects for poaching, possession of unregistered firearms, and violation of marketing prohibitions.
The operation is the largest ever crackdown on poaching in the difficult-to-access lagoon landscape, which is of international importance as a staging and overwintering area for nature conservation.
