Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Wildlife officers in Alhaurin el Grande dismantled a sophisticated operation that targeted protected birds of prey along the Costa del Sol.
Operation Betula was triggered by falconry experts
Operation Betula was launched after falconry experts alerted authorities to the fact that individuals were systematically scouring wooded areas in Alhaurin el Grande, during spring breeding seasons. Reports stated that a group actively tracked protected raptor population to steal young chicks straight from their nests. Poachers with extensive local knowledge targeted nests of the Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and other nests high up in trees. Raiding parties intentionally left one chick per nest in order to encourage parent birds to return and breed at the same location the following year.
Fake leg rings, fake licences are used to restrict illegal profits
The wild chicks were then washed in a breeding facility that had been licensed. Suspects attached closed metal legbands to the young birds. Forged transfer certificates and documents of breeding were used to pass off the wild chicks that had been poached as captive-bred birds. The illegally obtained birds were then sold on the market at astronomical prices to unsuspecting customers.
Illicit trade is driven by high market values
The illegal trade in raptors is fueled by the demand from falconry fans and private collectors. Raptors that are legally bred command high prices on commercial markets. Northern Goshawks are especially prized for woodland game hunting, with individual birds fetching anywhere between €1,500 and €4,000. Poachers who falsify breeding papers and ring wild chicks can make thousands of Euros per bird, while evading international conservation laws.
Intercepted before they raid
The metal bands were found in the backpacks of the suspects who had been caught in the countryside, as they were about to raid active nests. The Guardia Civil Criminalistics Laboratory has since taken DNA samples of the birds seized to prove the wild origins. The zoological institution and several other properties were searched. They found hand-drawn nest coordinates and falsified documents. After the successful police investigation, two people now face criminal charges related to wildlife trafficking as well as document forgery.
