Padua: 76-year-old arrested with 455 protected birds in his freezer

In the province of Padua, the Carabinieri have arrested a 76-year-old man who was keeping 455 dead birds of protected species in his freezer. He was already banned from owning weapons and ammunition. Nevertheless, investigators found an unregistered rifle with a silencer, more than 3,200 cartridges and 21 electronic decoy devices. A court in Padua has confirmed the arrest and ordered house arrest.

Caught during illegal bird hunting

The man from Villafranca Padovana was stopped in Limena, north of Padua, while engaged in illegal bird hunting. The Carabinieri's SOARDA special unit, the Carabinieri Forestali of the province of Padua and the CITES unit from Venice were involved, as reported by Mattino di Padova and il Dolomiti on 7 November. According to the reports, he did not have the required permit to carry the rifle. He was also already banned from owning weapons and ammunition.

During the subsequent house search, the Carabinieri confiscated three rifles, including two air rifles and an unregistered rifle with a silencer, along with more than 3,200 cartridges and over a kilogram of gunpowder. They also seized 21 electro-acoustic decoy devices with remote controls and 14 lime sticks. The freezer contained 455 dead birds: 442 meadow pipits, as well as ten birds described as thrushes and three as wagtails. Some had already been plucked; the non-human animals were vacuum-packed and frozen. The case is also reported by Il Gazzettino and PadovaOggi.

The charges

The 76-year-old is accused, among other things, of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, hunting theft, killing particularly protected species, using prohibited lures and hunting birds with a modified weapon. The charge of hunting theft rests on the fact that wild animals in Italy are considered the property of the state. In an expedited procedure, the court in Padua confirmed the arrest and ordered house arrest. Until a final judgment is reached, the presumption of innocence applies.

Not an isolated case in Italy

Wild beim Wild has reported on several similar cases in recent weeks. In Castel Volturno, seven recreational hunters were reported for using bird-call devices. In the Parco del Ticino, police seized 46 firearms, silencers and night-vision optics. And around Brescia, every year thousands of songbirds end up in nets and cooking pots.

Meadow pipits migrate in autumn from central and northern Europe to the Mediterranean region. The reports do not make clear whether the confiscated birds were migrating birds on passage. Electronic lure devices imitate the calls of conspecifics and draw birds deliberately within shooting range, which is why their use is prohibited.

Context: A weapons ban that was not enforced

The case falls within the debate about an expansion of recreational hunting in Italy, which Wild beim Wild covered in its article on the so-called “Sparatutto” law. According to media reports, the 76-year-old was already subject to a ban on possessing weapons and ammunition. Nevertheless, he is said to have hunted with a modified rifle and prohibited lure devices. The case therefore raises in particular the question of how existing weapons bans are monitored and enforced.

Further cases can be found in the section Crime & hunting.