Turns Out That Wholesome Hawk In A Żabbar Goalpost Was Actually An Illegally Shot Kestrel
What started off as an innocent and wholesome story of a hawk being rescued from a goalpost in a Żabbar football ground has ended up in a sadly all-too-familiar case of illegal hunting.
Yesterday morning, Żabbar’s St. Patrick Youth Football Nursery uploaded the photo of the bird which seemed to be stuck in the goalpost’s net, saying it hadn’t been shot.
Shortly after one of the nursery’s coaches noticed the downed bird, local NGO BirdLife was called onto the scene, where they took it to receive the necessary treatment.
Now, however, BirdLife Malta has clarified that the bird – which is actually a kestrel – was illegally shot after all.
“The bird was in fact shot,” BirdLife’s Nathaniel Attard told Lovin Malta, reporting on the NGO’s follow-up of the initially cute case. “The government veterinarian confirmed it was illegally shot following the recovery by BirdLife Malta.”
Speaking to Lovin Malta, the Żabbar nursery expressed their disappointment at the update on the “poor bird”.