The Carabinieri of the Naples mobile radio unit have reported a 73-year-old resident of Secondigliano, with a previous criminal record, for illegal possession of wild animals and receiving stolen goods.
His own balconies betrayed him: during a search of the man's home, the military found 17 goldfinches kept in cages, a species protected by current legislation on the protection of wild birds.
The animals, seized immediately, were entrusted to the Wild Animal Recovery Center at the Federico II University of Naples, where they will receive the necessary care with a view to their possible reintroduction into the wild.
All Rights Reserved
Good news that the goldfinches have been recovered and taken to the university center, but it seems to me that there are some open questions about how they arrived on the balcony and who gave them away. The law is clear but the reality is more nuanced and must be evaluated with caution.
I understand the Carabinieri's intervention, but it also seems to me that the action was hasty and perhaps without sufficient evidence. The birds were kept in cages and will now be fine at the center, but the question remains whether the man understood the prohibition or was mistaken out of ignorance.
It seems to me that this is a sad but also very complex situation, not only for the birds but also for the elderly man with the previous history. Perhaps Leje should have informed herself better, but the goldfinches on the balcony were not intended for domestic life, and the situation can perhaps be resolved with care.