POLICE have arrested five people suspected of stealing baby golden eagles from their nests.
All five are allegedly professional plunderers of birds’s nests, operating in the Mount Alcaparain area, in the municipality of Carratraca in Malaga.
The arrests came after an operation for the monitoring and control of nests discovered that two young eagles had been stolen.
Police reported that a van with several people inside had been seen on frequent occasions hanging round the Alcaparain area.
The Guardia Civil was able to intercept the van as it was leaving Malaga province.
At the feet of one of those arrested was a backpack with the two missing chicks inside.
It is alleged that once the gang located a nest, two climbed to retrieve the chicks while two others guarded the area, and one waiting in the van with a phone, ready to raise the alarm in case police arrived.
The chicks were returned to their nest by the Guardia Civil’s Mountain Rescue Team, in conjunction with environmental agencies.
