NEWS

Two sites dismantled after Ranger reports in Gozo and Malta during last night. 

Gozo - Our Ranger team in Gozo monitored illegal trapping during the night. Several Golden Plover trapping sites had illegal electronic bird callers on. One of the sites that the Victoria Police were asked to check, after a report by our Rangers, had mist nets and were confiscated. 

Malta - The Rangers have for several days monitored a site in Zurrieq that had extremely loud illegal electronic callers for Golden Plover. We had a large amount of reports for this site due to people not being able to sleep. 

A bit after 4:00 am, when it is prohibited to trap, the Żurrieq District Police was called to assist. They successfully managed to catch the trapper red-handed illegally trapping during closed hours, and with illegal electronic callers. 

The trapper will now be prosecuted and risk losing his license, as well as a hefty fine. 

Trapping is only allowed 2 hours before sunrise until 2 hours after sunset and electronic callers are forbidden by law (S.L. 549.42. The only exception is for finch callers.
Nov 24

Cleanup ordered of badly kept scrapyard within Bird Sanctuary. 

Our Rangers have been monitoring an area designated as a Bird Sanctuary and a Tree Protected Area (TPA) where an amount of trash had leaked into the below valley. This was immediately reported to the ERA - Environment & Resources Authority who today gave us an update on the case. 

"ERA officers inspected the area indicated and instructed the scrapyard operator to clear the waste found beyond the boundary wall, within the valley. The instructions were complied with and the waste was removed."

Although we would have expected a heavy fine for this, due to the evident littering of public space, we are happy to see that the area has been cleaned. 

We wish to thank the ERA Enforcement team for their assistance and for keeping us posted. 

We urge operators with businesses within our protected area to show basic respect to their surroundings and public space. Don't treat public roads and green spaces like this, nature deserves better.
Nov 24

Ranger report of bird caller leads to trapper losing his license for 3 years .

Our Rangers reported to the Environmental Protection Unit Police (EPU) that there were bird callers in the area of Fomm Ir-Riħ. When the Officers arrived they caught the trapper red-handed, trapping outside allowed hours for Golden Plovers with bird callers.

He has now been convicted and the Magistrate:

fined him €1200

ordered confiscation of corpus delicti

suspended his trapping license for 3 years.
Nov 24

Mist nets and illegal unregistered trapsite dismantled in Gozo during night. 

Our Rangers reported the Għarb site after having secured evidence of the following being used during late eve (offender trying to avoid being detected). 

1️⃣ At least 3 sets of illegal mist nets left during the night (can ONLY be used by registered bird ringers!). Such nets could catch even the smallest of birds during the early hours and have a very negative impact on the biodiversity.

2️⃣ Illegal electronic caller for Fieldfare (illegal to trap) used during night. 

3️⃣ Unregistered trapping site in connection to the mist nets. The active site had unattended ground clap nets.

This 'mega site' was treated by our Rangers as an imminent danger to wildlife, calling for immediate assistance of the Gozo police. It's not uncommon for the Authorities to not recognise nighttime Environmental crimes as an 'Emergency'. 

Our Rangers are many times questioned why such cases can't wait until the morning, but will stand their grounds on such matters.

The Victoria Police dismantled the site. We have requested a written confirmation of the amount of items that were found, to make sure that nothing was left on site during the dark hour operation.
Nov 24

Rangers spotted truck dumping mixed waste into Gozo quarry.

The Rangers were patrolling Gozo before sunset and suddenly saw a truck tipping over a container with mixed waste over the quarry edge. The case was documented and evidence to identify the offender secured. 

Once again - being at the right place at the right time led to environmental crime detection. 

They called for ERA - Environment & Resources Authority enforcement, who directly went on site. We wish to thank the Enforcement Officer on duty for the quick response. 

Quarry irregularities are not new to our Rangers. Our Rangers, as well as persons of the Public, have several times reported breaches of regulations at various sites in Malta. However, the lack of integrity and willingness to adhere to regulations seem to persist.
Nov 24

Sannat trappers hide illegal decoys, including live bird, from Police. 

Our Rangers monitored the Gozitan trapping site documenting usage of illegal bird callers. This was at the same site where 9 live birds and nets were confiscated during a night check recently. 

The Police were alerted of the illegalities on site and arrived shortly after. However the actual trapping site area was never checked, with the Officers only speaking to the accused near the hide. 

Meanwhile, our Rangers witnessed the trappers removing the illegal decoys of lapwing and also hiding one live decoy of a seemingly protected species under his shirt.

The Gozo Police were immediately informed of this, but unfortunately no check was carried out. 

Thanks to the footage that our Rangers gathered, we will now be able to lodge a Police report and push for legal action to be taken. 

After leaving the site, the Rangers were subject to intimidation by several individuals connected to the village. It came to a point where our Rangers had to go to the Police station to ask for assistance.
Nov 24

Report for illegal bird caller leads to detecting hunter without license.

Earlier this month our Rangers reported that a hunter was using an illegal electronic bird caller in Central Malta. They monitored him and could inform the EPU Officers where the caller was hidden. 

Once the Officers arrived on the site, it appears that the individual was hunting without a hunting license. He will now be charged by the Police for both offences and our Rangers will present evidence on Court. 

We wish to thank the EPU Officers who reported swiftly on site. 

This case shows the importance of reporting persons who seemingly have no respect for the Maltese law  SL. 549.42 (Wildbird Regulations), no matter how 'small' the crime is. Because many times, such disrespect shown by the offender, also increases the chance of the Police detecting other crimes.
Nov 24

MRU report leads to protected finches and tortoises seized from petshop. 

After a sighting of unringed finches for sale at a petshop, the Rangers reported the case to the Environmental Protection Unit Police who quickly acted on the matter. 

Inspection by the EPU Police was positive, and illegalities found including finches and protected tortoises.

No further details can be given at this time, however we will keep the Public posted on the day of the Court sitting.

Illegal trade of protected species is a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. Malta may not have large animals like other countries, but the poaching illegalities and the trade of protected species is are both impacting biodiversity.
Nov 24

UPDATE: Closed case after contravenor forced to undo harm to nature.

We are now reaching 6 months post initiating operations of reporting illegal works carried out in Natura2000 sites.
On the 23rd of May, 2024, our Rangers documented excavation of the garigue near the White Tower and after not being able to reach PA enforcement, ERA went on site to confirm garigue damage. This is within the Natura2000 site of 'L-inħawi tar-Ramla tat-Torri u tal-irdum tal-Madonna (MT0000009).
We do want to make a point that contractors should be (if not already) also held partially accountable and seen as contractors. How can you carry out works without seeing PA permits before?

The PA has now closed our case with the following outcome:
'With reference to your complaint report please be informed that, following investigations by our Compliance & Enforcement Directorate, it transpired that the excavated area has been reinstated.
Regarding the remaining structure, in view of the agreement between the Government and Armier Developments Limited, the Authority is not in a position to take any formal action at this stage. In view of these circumstances, the investigations on the complaint as submitted are being considered as concluded.'

It is not known if the contravener was fined for the damage done, or if he was let off by simply reinstate the garigue.  We wish to thank the Planning Authority for being very reactive to our complaints and for also keeping us updated on every update they have.

You can read our original post here about the case HERE
Nov 24

No daily fine for illegal buildings in natura2000 enables crime. 

One of the illegal trapping sites that MRU reported, where Police confiscated a large amount of birds and equipment, also had a building built without a permit where the poacher stores equipment.
There was an old Enforcement Notice with active status on the site (ECF203/13), as well as another closed case at the same time, stating that the contravener removed the illegality.
Our Ranger reported to the Planning Authority questioning how the building was still in place and clarified that this building is enabling environmental crime inside a Natura2000 site.
The Planning Authority replied that the old Enforcement Notice on the site (ECF203/13) indeed still was active and considered our case closed.
When our Rangers then challenged the fact that there were no daily fines in place, we got the following answer. 
‘The room is visible on the 2012 Aerial Photos and thus before the daily fines legislation came into force in November 2012, so daily fines are not applicable.'

This will be part of our yearly report, as one of many factors to why environmental crimes are thriving in Malta within Natura2000 sites.
Nov 24

Nine birds seized from an illegal nighttime trapsite in Sannat (Gozo). 

Our Rangers on patrol in Gozo last night spotted an active trapsite just before midnight (more than 4 hours after permitted hours).
The Victoria Police were alerted. They arrived on site shortly after and entered the area where the active trapping was taking place.
The site is seemingly registered with Wild Birds Regulation Unit for daytime legal trapping, but is now also being used at nighttime for illegal trapping. The offenders would know that there is little chance of getting caught without Environmental Enforcement in Gozo. 

The poachers had 9 live Golden Plovers and nets on site. They were confiscated by the Police.
Nov 24

Our Rangers are now equipped to check if found animals are chipped.

Malta Ranger Unit has invested in a pet scanner, enabling us to quickly see if a found pet is chipped. Animal welfare can then be advised of the chip number and easily notify the owner.
This will not only save time for our Rangers when they find lost animals, but it will also save valuable time for the Animal Welfare.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you've found a cat or dog. If we are nearby we will try to assist.

By law all dogs have to be chipped and wear an ID tag on their collars. Make sure that the Chip registrar has the correct contact details for you as the owner.
Nov 24

Gozo trapping sites dismantled by Police after Rangers' night report. 

Whilst most people were asleep last night, poachers in Xewkija were trapping illegally at night on two unregistered trapping sites with illegal bird callers on full volume. 
Good thing is, our Rangers were also awake...
➡️ The first site used illegal callers for lapwing and other waders, as well as live decoys.
➡️ The second site had callers of Golden Plover, but also Grey Herons (protected bird species). 

Both trapping sites were dismantled by the Police and the poachers' callers, live decoys and nets were confiscated.
We wish to thank the Victoria Police for their assistance leading to the environment being safeguarded although working with few resources and not specialised on such crimes.
Nov 24

Large scale dumping of expired food items along the road outside Naxxar. 

It appears that a retailer who had 6-7 large bags of expired goods decided to discard of them in nature instead of paying for the disposal of it. 

A reminder that when caught dumping waste illegally from your car, you're risking not only a fine starting from €150. You're also risking to lose the car and the driving license for up to 2 years. 

The MRU strongly condemn this behaviour and should anyone have any information about this incident, please get in touch. 

All reports are guaranteed full confidentiality!

UPDATE
We reached out to the Mayor Mr Christopher Deguara of the In-Naxxar Local Council and explained the situation. He directly acted on the matter and we wish to thank the Council and the Mayor for their assistance!
Nov 24

Qalet Marku waste signs in place to encourage cleanliness. 

For over a year our Rangers have worked to solve the root cause of the dumping of waste and littering on the peninsula. A large number of individuals have been reported by the Rangers and taken to Court by Police and fined. This led to a sharp decrease in illegalities during 2024.

The place is now cleaner than ever and we are starting to maintain the area so it remains clean. 

We are happy to see the full support given by In-Naxxar Local Council who, after our meeting with the Mayor, this week placed signs at the entrance to make visitors aware not to leave any waste on site. 

When doing your BBQ or picnic, always bring what you brought to the area back with you home.
Nov 24

Trapping outside allowed hours, €850 fine and 2 years suspended license.

Today our Rangers were in Court as witnesses in regards to a case of late eve trapping of Golden Plover in Birżebbuġa. The accused, who also used illegal electronic bird callers, was caught red-handed actively trapping on site by the Police Officers.

The trapper admitted to the charges brought against him by the Environmental Protection Unit Police. He was fined €850 and his license was revoked for 2 years.

We urge the Public to notify us via WhatsApp 79378118 whenever they hear bird callers at night (send us your location where you hear it from). 

During November and December it's not uncommon to hear Golden Plover electronic callers at night, due to the influx of migration leading to an increase in poaching cases.  

You can hear the very distinct call here
Nov 24

14 reports of environmental crimes. One of the busiest days this year. 

It's evident that the weather is inviting more people to spend time in nature. We encourage everyone to do so, but to do it responsibly. 

We need to care for the little nature we have in Malta! Due to overpopulation, the saturation of human activities in a confined space is causing quite some strain on the environment.
Today's reports were spread all over Gozo and Malta.

1️. Wader callers illegally used by hunter. EPU Police alerted.
2. Caller used illegally by hunter - EPU Police alerted
3️. Illegal fire with black smoke by youngsters.
4. Illegal camping and Offroading within Majjistral Park. The offenders were warned by the Rangers and informed of the site regulations.
5. Illegal construction in Natura2000. Planning Authority report to be filed.
6. 2nd case of illegal construction in Natura2000. Planning Authority report to be filed.
7. Report of destruction of Garigue.
8. Dumping of charcoal, offenders were called by Naxxar Police to immediately return and clean it up. Given official warning by Police and Rangers.
9. Illegal parking of vehicles in protected site. Liasled with ERA - Environment & Resources Authority .
10. Agricultural field within Natura2000 unpermitted land use change. To be reported to the Planning Authority.
1️1. Fire at the ground with branches and charcoal spotted by our Rangers at Miġra l-Ferħa (see photo). Persons made to clean it up spotless and informed of site regulations.
12. Large group at Mtaħleb are warned by the Rangers not to leave litter flying around.
13. Illegal callers on trapping site. EPU alerted.
1️4. Hunter with an illegal electronic caller.

On top of the reports, our Rangers are preparing for several Court Cases to be heard in the next coming weeks. 

It's going to be a busy end of the year!
Nov 24

Natura2000 Għar Lapsi litter offender from 2023 fined €250 in Court. 

We can now confirm that the individual who was documented on both 26th February and 5th March 2023, was fined by the Magistrate today. 

We are also happy to announce that the work put in by our Rangers at the lower level of Għar Lapsi has resulted in continuous cleanliness, less fires and a better ambience for all the visitors. 

This was one of the first cases of the Unit that shaped our way of working, with three phases (monitoring, education and reports leading to enforcement). 

We are proud to have worked hand in hand with the NGO 7R Lifestyle Malta who still today is caring for the area and making sure it's kept clean with the weekly protest cleanups. 

TVMnews article HERE
Nov 24

Gozo trapper not releasing caught Finch as per law, reported to Police. 

Our Rangers were monitoring a Natura2000 site in East of Gozo, when a Finch trapper was seen to 'pick and choose' which birds were released and which were not... 

As per SL. 549.42, Finch trappers are carrying out 'research' and are under NO circumstances allowed to keep the Finches, but have to INSTANTLY release them without delay. 

Our Rangers managed to document the incident that followed. The trapper is seen to sneakily hold on to a bird, whilst releasing the others. He then at one point needs to free up both hands to untangle the last one and put the 1st bird in his pocket. 

The trapper then swiftly packs up and leaves the site; seemingly to avoid getting caught in a spot check maybe?

The full report has been given to the Victoria Police and we expect them to take legal action against the Offender whom our Rangers have identified. 

Watch the full video HERE
Nov 24

Group at Qalet Marku made by Police to clean up their mess.

Our Rangers are regularly going to Qalet Marku (In-Naxxar Local Council) to speak to the visitors and raise awareness about the Environmental laws that apply on site. We have seen an amazing improvement in cleanliness on the peninsula the last 1-2 years. 

One group was just about to end their BBQ and the Rangers informed them of the fact that the site has to be left clean, with charcoal to be disposed of in their own bags and brought home with them. 

30 minutes later the Rangers came back to the same site after the group had left, and the charcoal had been left in a tray inside a shrub, still with ember. The group has also thrown pallet pieces around the area, pieces that they earlier were made to put in their vehicles. 

The Naxxar Police were asked for assistance to contact the individuals and they were informed that they without delay had to go back and clean the site spotlessly. 

Our Rangers waited at site and spoke to the person when arrived. 

This behaviour is NOT ok. Our Rangers are always trying to prevent crimes and the least we expect of the individuals spoken to, and given a chance to do what's right, is that they don't proceed to harm nature. 

In cases like these, our Rangers do normally proceed with filing Police reports and the offenders would be sentenced to pay fines as per SL. 549.40 (incorrect disposal of waste and littering). 

We wish to extend a Thank you to the Naxxar Police for their swift assistance on this matter.
Nov 24

Għasri kestrel confirmed by MaltaGov vet to have been shot.

The kestrel that was handed over by our Rangers to the EPU Police earlier this week, was confirmed to have shotgun wounds. 

The bird was handed over to BirdLife Malta where it will undergo rehabilitation and, if all goes well, be released once healed. We wish to extend a thank you for the work carried out by their team to care for these birds until they can gain strength.

Thank you to the members of the Public who continue to have their eyes open and who act when they see wildlife in need of assistance.
Nov 24