Poaching: "They wanted to catch wild birds with the mistletoe technique, but they got entangled by the Provincial Police".
This was the headline in the newspapers in December 2012, when the “Birdlime” operation of the provincial police ended. Operation concluded with the complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office of Ferrara of three people, from Veneto, for the offenses of hunting in regional natural parks, the capture of finches in a number greater than five, exercise of the hunting with prohibited means, that is the mistletoe and with acoustic signal with electromagnetic operation, in a protected area such as the Po Delta Park.
The agents on patrol at the Lido degli Estensi had noticed three men wandering among the dunes, spreading food on the ground. Hidden in the dunes, the men in uniform of the Provincial Police found an electromagnetic acoustic signal (the use of which is prohibited by hunting regulations), mistletoe, diluent to remove glue residues, feed and numerous wooden sticks soaked of mistletoe. In a cage, 15 goldfinches were also found, small birds with colored plumage belonging to the Fringillidi family.
The three people were investigated, in competition with each other, for the five crimes. The Court of Ferrara has now sentenced with the prison sentence - replaced with controlled freedom for two months -, in addition to 600 euros for each of the three defendants and the order for the destruction of all the seized material, since the restitution could facilitate the commission of further crimes. "I thank my colleagues - declares the commander of the provincial police, Claudio Castagnoli - for their commitment to the defense of respect for the rules and the protection of animals, especially if caught illegally with barbaric techniques such as those found".
The New Ferrara
16.10.2014