Norwegians face probe for killing New Zealand birds

WELLINGTON - Five Norwegian men were reported Saturday to be under investigation at home and in New Zealand where they filmed themselves shooting protected wildlife.

The five reportedly removed a video of their hunting exploits in New Zealand from You Tube following a storm of protest.

New Zealand Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said she was “absolutely outraged” by the video which showed the men shooting two kereru - New Zealand native wood pigeons - which are protected birds.

If prosecuted in New Zealand, they could be fined up to 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($70,000) and jailed for a year.

Hans Tore Hoviskeland, a senior public prosecutor at the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Okokrim), was quoted in Norway’s newspaper, Aftenposten, as saying they could be sentenced to six years in prison under their own country’s law.

Describing their actions as “very regrettable”, he said, “The way I see it, they can also be prosecuted in criminal proceedings in Norway. We will do further research to see what has happened in the case”.

The Norwegians reportedly spent the New Zealand summer travelling round trout streams and hunting. They posted a video compilation of their trip’s highlights after getting home.

The video also showed them shooting a paradise shelduck with a rifle. The birds can only legally be hunted with a shotgun and a licence during the hunting season starting in May.

The Department of Conservation is reportedly working to identify the men from records of a helicopter company they used in the South Island.