Suspended sentence for illegal bird torturer

The Federal Court has upheld a suspended sentence of 15 months for a pigeon breeder from the canton of Zurich.

In March 2016, the man attempted to poison birds of prey by coating a pigeon with poison.

The aim of the now 39-year-old man was for a bird of prey to seize the prepared pigeon and thereby consume not just the bird but also the poison, causing its death. The breeder always denied that the pigeon belonged to him. He therefore also applied for an acquittal before the Federal Court.

However, in a ruling published on Wednesday, the Lausanne judges upheld the decision of the Zurich High Court. The lower court had convicted the man of multiple counts of animal cruelty, multiple violations of the Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds, and further offences related to the use of poison, sentencing him to a suspended custodial sentence and a fine of 1,500 francs.

Clear evidence

The Federal Court states that the Zurich High Court presented a convincing account of the facts. The man had wanted to poison the birds of prey because they repeatedly preyed on his pigeons. On the day the perpetrator was caught, a pigeon of a specific breed — coated with poison and marked with paint — had repeatedly returned to the breeder's dovecote, a clear indication that the bird belonged to him.  

In addition, poison and a marking spray were seized from the convicted man, the colour of which was also found on the prepared pigeon.