The GOB urges the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate the three cases of kite poisoning in Mallorca

PalmThe GOB Mallorca environmental group has urged the Public Prosecutor's Office to open a criminal investigation into the poisoning of three red kites found this year. In a press release issued Tuesday, the environmental organization recalled that three dead kites were found in two hunting areas in February and March of this year, having ingested poisoned bait. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment opened two disciplinary proceedings last September and forwarded the request to the Public Prosecutor's Office to open a criminal investigation. The environmentalists are also urging the Public Prosecutor's Office to open an investigation given the "seriousness" of the incidents and agree with the Ministry that there are "clear indications" of a possible wildlife crime. The red kite is a species listed as endangered in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species, and, as has been pointed out, the use of poison is prohibited and constitutes a serious crime under the Penal Code, with prison sentences of up to two years and fines of up to €200,000. In their opinion, the death of these birds highlights the need to intensify investigations and the strict application of regulations to definitively eradicate the use of poison in the natural environment of the Balearic Islands. The GOB (Balearic Ornithological Group) has informed the Public Prosecutor's Office of its intention to appear as a private prosecutor in these poisoning cases in order to have access to the documentation generated and to provide, if the prosecutor deems it appropriate, all the information derived from the telemetry tracking of these birds.