Poacher is those who shoot protected species, those who hunt in times or in prohibited areas or with prohibited methods and means, those who illegally capture protected birds (and other animals).
Birds, especially migratory birds, have been an important supplement to the diet of our ancestors for millennia. Furthermore, already in Roman times, the singing species or the more vivid colors were kept in cages for ornamental purposes. In the Middle Ages they were then used in mines because, dying, they indicated the presence of toxic gases.
In addition, some species have been erroneously considered “harmful” over the years, for example birds of prey are considered as real enemies by poultry farmers and pheasant and hare hunters.
Ancient necessities turned into traditions and archaic trapping practices developed to become a custom.
Worldwide, 6 million birds are slaughtered every week, all illegally. These species are real ‘living targets’ for poachers and traffickers.
Poaching inevitably causes the impoverishment of ecosystems around the world and has brought several species of birds to the brink of extinction.
