RSPCA: Liverpool man admits keeping and selling rare wild birds
Natik Fataliev caught trading red Siskins at major show
A Liverpool man has been ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work after he admitted selling wild birds at one of the country’s biggest aviculture shows.
Natik Fataliev, who is originally from Azerbaijan, admitted six charges linked to the possession and selling of illegal birds, including Lesser Redpoles, Siskins, Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches and a Yellow Hammer.
The 43-year-old, now of South Highville Road, Liverpool, was originally identified when he sold three birds to covert RSPCA inspectors at the Stafford Spring bird show on 4 March. Two of those birds – a male Chaffinch and a male Goldfinch – could not be proved to be legally bred in captivity. He also pleaded guilty to one further charge of failing to keep these birds in a suitable environment at the time of the test purchase.
Fataliev – who was ordered to pay £1,000 costs during his appearance before Liverpool Magistrates’ Court yesterday (31.1.13) – admitted purchasing a total of nine rare red Siskins on two separate days of last year’s Stafford Show.
A warrant was carried out in June last year, when 74 British and European birds were examined by an independent expert at his house on South Highville Road. Of those 74, 28 birds were recovered from the address and 26 of these had tampered identification rings.
Chief inspector Ian Briggs, of the RSPCA’s special operations unit, said: “It is no excuse to plead ignorance. Everyone who keeps captive birds has a duty to ensure their origin was legal and that they were not taken from the wild.
“The simple fact is that this man broke the law by keeping and selling wild caught birds. Wild birds suffer horrendous stress by being kept in cages – it is a life of misery for them.”
Fataliev claimed during interview that he did not understand the law on keeping birds since moving to England from Russia.
However, he then admitted he knew it is illegal to take birds from the wild because he had seen programmes on television which said this.
The RSPCA relies on generous donations from the public to be able to investigate such cases as this.
If you would like to help the RSPCA, you can give £3 now by texting HELP to 78866 (text costs £3 + one standard network rate message).
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Notes to editors
Footage from the test purchase at the Stafford Show is available from the RSPCA press office by calling 0300 123 0244 or emailing press@rspca.org.uk. There are no still images to accompany this press release.
RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk
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