Egg theft of protected birds of prey has been linked to a centre which runs the recovery programme for the Spanish Imperial Eagle and swindled subsidies from the Junta de AndalucíaA Spanish Imperial Eagle. Photo – Antonio Carrasco/Wikipedia
After the news on Wednesday of a Civil Guard investigation in Sevilla into a network trafficking in protected birds of prey, it’s now been confirmed that the network has been disbanded and was much more extensive than originally reported. Officers have rescued 101 birds alive and another 11 which were found dead.
Sixteen people have been arrested after 21 property searches in nine Spanish provinces.
Amongst those in custody are the director and several members of staff from the centre in Sevilla which manages the Junta de Andalucía’s recovery programme for the Spanish Imperial Eagle. A captain from Seprona, the Civil Guard nature protection unit, told EFE that the suspects there were involved in a fraud which has been ongoing for the past 9 years by inflating figures about the number of chicks born at the centre in order to retain their regional government subsidy.
Civil Guard investigators have discovered that they in fact came from eggs which were stolen from nests in the wild, while small chicks were also taken alive.
Captain José Manuel Vivas said the centre was not the successful scientific project it was presented as and spoke of the Junta de Andalucía as a victim in the case.
The Civil Guard said the network extends far beyond the Sevilla centre and believe more than 150 people could be linked to the organised theft of eggs and chicks for the illegal sale of protected birds of prey. It’s understood that some chicks were sold for as much as 18,000 €.
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