Bird of Prey trade in Italy
In some circles, Birds of prey are sought-after status-symbol. Collectors and falconers are sometimes willing to put thousands of euros on the table for certain species.
Criminal pet traders all over the world have specialised in robbing chicks or eggs from birds of prey nests and selling them with forged papers. The phenomenon used to be widespread in Germany, too, but has now largely disappeared as a result of controls in breeding areas - especially in the case of peregrine falcons. One of the last areas in Europe in which eagles and falcons regularly plunder nests is southern Italy.
The Bonelli's Eagle is particularly affected here. The endangered bird of prey is difficult to breed in captivity, and prices are high. Until a few years ago, every second nest of the Bonelli's eagle in Sicily was plundered by thieves. But also large falcons, who are used in falconry, are affected. Thus clutches of the Lanner falcon disappear again and again around the coast of Calabria.
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) supports a project to protect the Bonelli's eagle in Sicily and the Lanner falcon along the southern Italian mainland coast. Since our partners have been monitoring the nests, nest robbery has significantly decreased.