Illegal bird trapping uncovered in Germany

Following a tip-off from bird conservationists, police officers in the municipality of Stemwede (Minden-Lübbecke district, NRW) have shut down a large-scale facility used to trap protected goshawks and other birds of prey.

Mass trap discovered in field copse

As reported by the Bonn-based organisation «Komitee gegen den Vogelmord» (Committee Against Bird Murder), the device was a so-called ladder or mass trap, discovered in a field copse not far from Desteler Weg. The approximately five-cubic-metre catching device resembles an aviary and operates on the principle of a fish trap. To lure birds into the trap, the perpetrator or perpetrators had used a dead chicken and kilograms of slaughterhouse waste as bait.

Who operated the illegal facility is now the subject of a police investigation. According to the Committee, various pieces of evidence were seized at the scene, the analysis of which may provide concrete leads on the perpetrators. One thing is certain: anyone who sets such traps for birds of prey is committing a criminal offence under the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Committee spokesperson Axel Hirschfeld suspects that hunting interests may have been the motive in this case. «The trap was firmly anchored in the ground and had been there for several years. In the immediate vicinity there is a raised hide, a freshly filled pheasant feeding station, and two active fox traps.»

Up to five years in prison

The illegal persecution of goshawks, buzzards and other feathered predators is a criminal offence in Germany that can be punished under the Federal Nature Conservation Act with heavy fines and up to five years in prison. Those responsible include not only pigeon and poultry keepers but also, repeatedly, hobby hunters who regard birds of prey as “pests” and competitors. “We hope that the authorities will exhaust all available means to ensure that those responsible in this case can be identified and prosecuted,” said Hirschfeld. Anyone with information about the perpetrators is asked to contact the police station in Lübbecke.

Such cases of wildlife crime show that hobby hunting causes damage to biodiversity far beyond what is legally permissible.