An illegal trapping site was discovered inside Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, Birdlife Malta said on Friday.

The wildlife conservation group said the site was located after it undertook some investigative operations.

The unregistered trapping site, found with unattended nets on the ground, is situated within Fort Ricasoli, which is owned by the Government of Malta, and most of it is currently being leased to the Malta Film Commission.

The site has been previously reported to police for illegal trapping, Birdlife said.

Following footage taken of the area, a report was lodged with officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) police unit who attended to the site and found nets as well as a number of illegally trapped birds in captivity.

ALE police officers removed the nets and confiscated 23 protected birds that were being kept in captivity. Despite asking for the intervention of Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) experts, WBRU lacked adequate capacity to assist, with police in turn resorting to calling on Environment & Resources Authority (ERA) experts to help in identifying the confiscated birds.

From Short-toed Larks to Robins, a Dunnock, a Tree Pipit and several Chaffinches and Linnets, the birds were inspected by a veterinarian, and later ringed and released by BirdLife Malta at Għadira Nature Reserve.

The welfare conditions of most of the birds were poor. The illegally fitted rings and harnesses were all removed by BirdLife Malta, before the birds were fitted with rings from the BirdLife Malta ringing scheme prior to their subsequent release.

The fact that the site was prepared with nets on the ground, and birds kept on site, some of which had been fitted with swivels to be used as live decoys, clearly shows that the trapper was intending to illegally catch birds in the coming weeks.

Birdlife released a video documenting the full operation from the police raid to the release of the birds back into the wild where they belong.

The organization thanked both ALE and ERA for their timely intervention in this case which not only has saved the lives of these wild birds, but also prevented them from being used as live decoys for more illegal trapping at this location. Investigations by police are still ongoing.