The Civil Guard of Valencia, as part of its unique mission of protecting nature, has opened an investigation against a man for illegally capturing protected birds.
The agents, thanks to citizen collaboration, learned that a man passionate about pigeon racing could be irregularly hunt turtledoves wild in the municipality of La Granja de la Costera.
Apparently, the man under investigation captured these birds because “they would bother him” for his hobby with pigeons. At one point, the callsigns managed to find a plot where several “cage traps“, an illegal hunting device.
This instrument is used to attract animals that, once inside, cannot return to the wild and remain trapped until they are released. It is considered prohibited because it is a non-selective method (any animal can enter).
A few days later, the civil guards in charge of the investigation, again thanks to the collaboration of the citizens, found a man near the plot containing the “trap cages” and who turned out to be the person responsible for the crime. Inside, they found four birdsthree of them in good condition and a fourth with several injuries that prevented him from flying.
These animals were studied by the Fauna Recovery Center “La Granja de El Saler”, where a veterinarian identified the exact species of bird. They were several specimens of turkish doves (streptopelia decaocto) which cannot be hunted in accordance with current regulations. This is why this man, a 76-year-old Spaniard, was charged with an offence against the protection of wildlife.
The three turtledoves that were in good condition were released, while one of them was taken to the wildlife recovery centre. There, the veterinary services carried out a study of the injuries and treated them with a view to their future healing and return to the natural environment. The case was forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Alzira area (Valencia).
