A disturbing case of illegal bird trapping has come to light after a video shared by the Owl Rescue Centre showed four men capturing indigenous birds along a riverbank.

Under South Africa’s National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004), it is illegal to trap, keep, or sell indigenous birds without a valid permit.

According to the centre, the video, filmed by a resident on October 26, also appeared to show two baby owls on the back seat of the suspects’ vehicle while the group was actively trapping wild birds.

The Owl Rescue Centre rehabilitates and releases owls and other wildlife. The organisation frequently responds to cases of illegal trade and possession of wild birds and continues to appeal to the public to report any incidents of poaching or wildlife trafficking.

In an update posted by Brendan Murray from the rescue centre on October 27, he explained what happened after the video was made public. With help from community members, Murray was able to trace the vehicle owner’s address. Upon visiting the home, the owner’s father confirmed that his son and three friends were the men seen in the footage.

Murray later met with the man, identified under the alias “John”, to protect his identity while the case was under investigation by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“John was very apologetic for what they had done,” Murray explained. “He told me they lock the males of different species like Black-throated Canaries, Weavers, Bishops, and Yellow-fronted Canaries in trap cages called ‘callers’. These birds sing and attract wild birds into the traps. The trapped birds are then kept in aviaries, given a product called stress pac to desensitise them for a life in captivity, ringed after a week, and sold to pet shops.”

Murray asked John to surrender all trapped birds and cages. John brought only two cages containing his caller birds, claiming that no wild birds had been caught that day and that the birds in the video belonged to his friends.

“I explained to him that whether it’s pangolin, rhino, or small wild birds, poaching is poaching, and all our wildlife is protected under our Biodiversity Act,” Murray said.

He described John as someone who ‘lives in the suburbs, has a family, and is a manager at one of South Africa’s largest and wealthiest companies’ – showing that wildlife crime is not limited to remote or impoverished communities.

Murray concluded that John was given contact details for local nature conservation officers and instructed to surrender all cages and birds in his and his friends’ possession.

“The law will then take its course,” he added, confirming that the authorities are expecting John’s call and have all his details.