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ARCHIVED - Alicante farmer faces 3,000 euro fine for illegally capturing finches with homemade trap
The 78-year-old from Mutxamel allegedly trapped the birds to breed them for singing contests
A Mutxamel farmer is being investigated for illegally capturing finches with a homemade trap and faces a fine of up to 3,000 euros.
According to the Guardia Civil's Nature Protection Service, Seprona, the birds are usually trapped and bred in captivity to teach them to sing in competitions.
During a raid on his farm, officers discovered the 78-year-old Spanish man had set up an intricate trap to capture the birds typically found in the southern hemisphere and northern Africa.
He reportedly placed a large net, half hidden on the ground surrounded by trees and underneath a water fountain to lure thirsty birds.
From a camouflaged makeshift hut in the bushes a few metres away, the farmer watched over the fountain and when a finch flew in for a drink, he pulled a rope that snapped the net shut, trapping them inside.
The species 'fringilids' includes goldfinches, greenfinches, and linnets, which migrate in search of warmer places during seasonal changes.
The mass trapping of these birds has serious consequences for their population and the ecosystem, which is why Seprona regularly carries out controls to prevent them from being captured by illegal means.
The campaigns are intensified at the change of season, coinciding with the greatest migration of the species concerned.
Their capture is restricted in accordance with European regulations and is only permitted on "a limited and exceptional basis for scientific purposes, always subject to the required authorisation and using approved means".
An undisclosed number of finches rescued from the Mutxamel farm have been taken to the Santa Faz Fauna Recovery Centre in Alicante, where specialists are working on the birds' reintroduction to their natural habitat.
Meanwhile, the accused faces a number of charges included illegal hunting.
Image: Guardia Civil
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