Animal traffickers arrested in Sicily

Police seize 200 small birds destined for Malta
Two Italian men and one Maltese national suspected of animal trafficking were arrested by police in Catania on Friday. The 41 and 51-year Sicilian men are accused of collaborating with a 32-year-old truck driver from Malta, importing and illegally trading protected species of small, exotic birds.

According to police, the birds were destined for the Maltese market. An internet search by Italian investigators revealed that the birds were priced between 200 and 500 euros by the poachers.

Police confiscated 200 birds, along with 1,000 euros.

The men have been detained, while the birds have been entrusted to a local wildlife-rescue centre and are soon to be released in a nearby protected area.