Staff members of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter uncovered a case of serious animal cruelty and wildlife crime in the Emsland district and alerted the police.
Illegal raptor traps baited with live pigeons
The suspect identified in early December was a farmer aged around 50 and holder of a hunting licence, who had set up two installations near his farm in the municipality of Lengerich for the illegal trapping of raptors, baiting them with live pigeons. The prohibited traps were discovered during a search operation by bird protection activists, who had received a tip-off from the public.
Brutal killing documented on camera
Since a freshly caught female goshawk was sitting in one of the traps, the police station in Spelle was contacted, and a patrol car arrived approximately 40 minutes later on a field track 400 metres away. While the officers met with the informants there, a person drove up to the trap in a car and beat the goshawk to death with a metal bar. What the perpetrator did not know was that, in order not to lose sight of the captured bird in the meantime, the bird protection activists had installed a camera that recorded everything. After the man had struck the goshawk twice with the bar, he then smashed the animal's head against the bumper of his car two more times. A few minutes later, he was intercepted by police officers as he was leaving the scene. He stated that his motive was to protect local “small game” and his poultry from the goshawk. Criminal proceedings were initiated against the man for violations of the Federal Nature Conservation Act and the Animal Welfare Act. In the event of a conviction, the man faces a substantial fine as well as the loss of his hunting licence.
Committee spokesperson Axel Hirschfeld thanked the police for their swift intervention. “We are shocked by the unscrupulousness and brutality with which this was carried out. Goshawks are strictly protected. Their populations in Lower Saxony have declined in recent years. One reason for this is illegal persecution.”
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