Illegal trap for birds of prey discovered on organic farm
Near Kerpen, an illegal trap for goshawks was discovered on an organic farm. A live chicken served as bait in sub-zero temperatures.
Nature conservationists and police officers rendered an illegal trap for catching goshawks and other strictly protected birds of prey harmless yesterday afternoon near Kerpen.
Kerpen is a large district town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Live chicken used as bait in sub-zero temperatures
A live chicken, which the perpetrators had placed in the trap as bait in sub-zero temperatures, was freed from its predicament.
The case was reported by staff members of the Bonn-based Committee Against Bird Slaughter, who had discovered the trap — a so-called goshawk catching basket — following a tip from the public. The catching basket was located in immediate proximity to several mobile chicken coops on the premises of a farm specialising in organic agriculture. Another case of crime in connection with wildlife.
Goshawks and other birds of prey are strictly protected in Germany. The installation and operation of such devices is prohibited in Germany and constitutes a criminal offence under §44 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Violations can be punished with heavy fines and up to three years in prison. A complaint was also filed for animal cruelty. “The bait chicken was kept at freezing temperatures and without food or water in a small cage. Whoever did this is apparently indifferent to animal welfare or ecology,” said Committee Executive Director Alexander Heyd. The bird conservationist announced that he would report the case to the responsible cultivation association. The animal welfare problem is obvious.
Police are investigating against persons unknown
The police in Kerpen have since opened criminal proceedings and are investigating, for now still against unknown persons. "Protecting the chickens from the sparrowhawk is clearly the motive for setting the trap," Alexander Heyd is certain. The bird conservationist emphasizes that numerous similar cases have come to light in Germany in recent years. This is, however, the first time such a trap has been found on the premises of an organic farm.
