owl in cage (photo credit: Swedish Police / AP Press
A Swede who caught 13,000 birds in 5 years is heading for 18 months in jail after being found guilty of breaking hunting laws, animal cruelty and breaches of Sweden’s endangered species act. Although most of the birds were released he kept hundreds of the wild birds in cages.
Pierre Johansson, 40, admitted that he had an obsession that got out of hand when between January 2005 and June 2010 – when he was caught – he used traps, snares and nets to catch over 13,000 wild birds including owls, falcons and hawks. He also admitted to taking eggs and chicks from nests.
Hundreds of wild birds found in garage.
After making extensive notes on the birds he would then release them but investigators found hundreds of wild birds caged in his garage and in a henhouse. A database found by investigators contained notes on all the 13,983 birds and eggs that he had captured or collected.
The prosecutor in the case had argued for a 2 years prison sentence although he was happy with the 18 months that was imposed. The maximum punishment for the crimes involved is 4 years in prison.
Actions could have impacted on conservation programmes.
A spokesman from the Swedish Ornithological Society said that Johansson’s actions could have had a major impact on some of the protected species. He referred to two species in particular that Sweden had been working hard to bring back from the brink of extinction since the 1990′s - the three toed woodpecker and the eagle owl.
He also noted that fortunately cases as extreme as Johanssons were extremely rare in Sweden.
Tip off lead to raid on bird collector.
Johansson who lived in Hudikvall on the east coast of Sweden was investigated after police received a tip off. When police visited they discovered hundreds of living and dead birds at his home. In addition Johansson kept a mink and polecat on his grassed balcony.
Police seized nets, computers and egg decorating equipment from his home following the raid.
The database on the computer contained extensive details on the birds that were caught including the methods used to catch them and the locations n which they were caught. The database was used as the main piece of evidence to demonstrate the extent of Johanssons activities in illegally catching birds and raiding birds nests for eggs and chicks.
Johansson admitted that his hobby had got out of control but that his actions on the birds should not be taken as being a serious breach of wildlife and animal cruelty laws. For instance he had kept some birds at home because they were injured and he wanted to help them survive a cold winter.
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