Foreign bird ringer has license suspended over involvement in Maltese finch trapping
The British Trust for Ornithology noted that the ringer's actions in Malta's finch-trapping project risk reputational damage to the organisation
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has revoked an individual’s ringer permit after complaints that he would be participating in finch-trapping activities in Malta.
In a statement on Monday, the BTO said that the individual in question, an Irishman who holds a BTO-issued ringing permit, is not currently ringing finches in Malta after BirdLife Malta, the coordinators of the national ringing scheme, did not granted him rings.
This development comes after the Federazzjoni Kaċċaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) accused BirdLife Malta of refusing to cooperate with the researcher conducting bird-ringing studies in Malta.
“We have genuine concerns that, because the individual in question holds a ringing permit issued by the BTO's Licensing Team, third parties may make the incorrect assumption that the fieldwork that this individual is undertaking is associated with, and therefore supported by, BTO. We therefore consider that the actions of this ringer pose a significant reputational risk to BTO and the delivery of our scientific and charitable work.”
The BTO also made reference to the European Court of Justice decree that ruled Malta's derogation from the ban on bird trapping as illegal. Despite the ruling, government reopened the finch trapping season one month later.
Additionally, BTO plans to release a public statement denouncing the Maltese finch-trapping initiative as inconsistent with legitimate scientific objectives. BTO will also caution all permit holders that involvement in such projects, particularly those lacking a clear legal or scientific basis, may result in sanctions.
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