The Podgorica police detained Ljub Kostić from Podgorica yesterday on suspicion of using illegal means to catch birds, after activists of the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) reported poaching in Ćemovsko polje.
Biologist at CZIP Marija Stanišić said that in the meadow next to the Mladost stadium she saw a cage with a stilt - a strictly protected bird species, and around it a decoy (imitating the chirping of a bird) and sticks smeared with glue, which are prohibited means for hunting and catching birds.
Kostić introduced himself as the owner of the cage, and, according to "Vijesti" information, he told the police that he was a breeder of stilts and that he had taken his bird to Ćemovsko polje to release it for a short time.
Stanišić, however, claims that he does not have the necessary paperwork for the found goldfinch, popularly known as the songbird, given that it was not ringed.
The permit for keeping and breeding birds is issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, which yesterday did not answer whether Kostić was registered with them as a breeder of stilts.
Yesterday, Kostić did not want to talk to the press, and next to the stadium in Ćemovsko polje, he decided to start an incident, because several citizens resented the fact that the police were detaining Kostić.
The police controlled the situation.
"Quite by chance, I came across a cage and a telephone from which the chirping of a pin (caller) was broadcast. This man (Kostić) told me to take cover because he was hunting birds. I immediately called the police and waited for them, however, later these people appeared, allegedly watching the game and started provoking," Stanišić told "Vijesta".
Stanišić said that she doubts that Kostić wanted to catch protected bird species for sale, because there were no weapons for shooting birds on the spot, nor in the trunk of his car, which was searched by the police.
She filed a complaint against Kostić at the Security Center for illegal catching of birds, which is with the primary prosecutor.
Yesterday, the game warden of the "Podgorica" Hunting Association made the report, but he said that the case was not his jurisdiction, considering that it was not about hunting.
Local resident Rajko Papović, who was also walking in Ćemovski polje, confirmed Stanišić's story yesterday.
According to the Criminal Code - whoever possesses animals that belong to a specially protected animal species or captures them without authorization, will be punished with a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
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