A Brisbane man has been fined more than $1600 after he captured and caged a wild raptor he claimed had been attacking his chickens.
Last month, the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation, received a tip from a member of the public about a wild bird that had been illegally captured at Marsden.
Wildlife rangers attended the address and found a brown goshawk that had been illegally held in an enclosure for up to three days.
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Senior Wildlife Ranger Shari Griinke said rangers seized the bird and released it within 2.5km of the address.
“The person who lives at the address admitted to capturing raptors at least three times because he believed they had been harassing his homing pigeons and chickens,” Griinke said.
“The person was planning on taking the captured goshawk to bushland west of Brisbane where it would be released it into the wild.”
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Griinke said people who needed protection for their poultry or other pets should contact a licenced bird catcher.
Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 it is an offence to take and or keep native animals in Queensland without the appropriate permits.
The man was issued two penalty infringement notices with a total value of $1612, for taking the bird from the wild, and for keeping it in an enclosure.
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