Lubbeek (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A man in his sixties from Lubbeek was fined €8,000 for illegally releasing 21 pheasants in Boutersem. Inspectors found boxes, feathers, and another suspect linked to JB.
As VRT News reported, a man in his sixties from Lubbeek, a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, has been fined €8,000 by the Leuven court for releasing pheasants without permission in Boutersem.
Nature inspectors found him near the hunting area around 8 p.m. He could not clearly explain why he was there. In his car, they saw fresh droppings and pheasant feathers. Not far from the car, they found 10 cardboard boxes. 4 of them still had 21 live pheasants inside. The rest were empty but had feathers and droppings.
What did inspectors discover during the November 2023 hunting grounds check in Boutersem?
That same evening, nature inspectors found a second vehicle about 450 meters from the first car linked to the man from Lubbeek. The car was unlocked and parked near more cardboard boxes. These boxes looked the same as the earlier ones and also had feathers and droppings inside.
When inspectors checked the vehicle’s papers, they saw it belonged to a family member of the main suspect. This made officers believe the illegal pheasant release was planned with help from others.
The man who owned the second car told inspectors he had called JB and agreed to meet him at the hunting grounds. He said JB told him they would release pheasants there to hunt. Police later searched JB’s home and found several guns and a large amount of ammunition. JB also owns the land where the pheasants were released. When asked about the case, he refused to talk to the Nature Inspectorate.
In November 2023, nature inspectors discovered the case during a full check of the hunting grounds. The inspection followed earlier reports and concerns from the public. These checks are meant to stop illegal hunting and protect wildlife. Inspectors looked for signs of wrongdoing and made sure all hunting followed the rules.
