Poaching: Parma, a man was caught shooting at foxes and cats at night; stopped and reported by the Provincial Police.
A poacher was caught late at night after killing a cat with a .22 caliber rifle in a countryside area specially lit with his car's headlights; the man tried to escape but the provincial police officers chased him and stopped him. The story dates back to a few days ago. The man, resident in the province of Parma, was noticed while he was lighting up the meadows with the headlights of his car near the capital of Terenzo, in search of wildlife. The poacher, once stopped, told the officers that he had killed a cat with a shot fired with his rifle, to counteract the "competing" animals of wildlife. In fact, reports of poaching of animals that prey on game are not uncommon. After questioning the man, the Provincial Police officers set out on the trail of the killed cat, then recovered, on the advice of the poacher.
The operation carried out by the Provincial Police is part of the services on the territory aimed at the prevention and repression of offenses relating to fauna and the environment. The agents subsequently reported the man to the judicial authorities because he was held responsible for activities in violation of criminal law.
In the operation of territorial garrison and night patrol, on a day of "hunting silence", the agents noticed an unusual illumination in a field in the open countryside of Terenzo. Attracted by the anomalous situation, the provincial police officers reached the place and intercepted the man who was lighting up a field, for a few tens of meters, in search of wildlife. The poacher, after noticing the approach of the Provincial Police, quickly left the area, near the capital, aboard his car, heading towards the Strada Statale della Cisa. Provincial Police personnel followed the car, stopping the driver after a few kilometers of chase.
Once stopped, the officers found a rifle inside the car, equipped with precision optics and target lighting device, of a caliber prohibited for hunting and still containing the shell of an exploded cartridge. The man tried to justify himself by claiming that he was looking for cats and foxes to kill them. The agents of the Provincial Police have provided for the immediate seizure of the rifle and the carcass of the cat.
The dispute against the person concerns the hypothesis of a crime «for having caused the death of a pet without necessity as per art. 544-bis of the Criminal Code, having carried out hunting activities in a day of hunting silence, and having used prohibited weapons as required by national legislation for the protection of homeothermic wildlife and for hunting ”.
(21 August 2014)
Source: GazzettadiParma