Two London men fined for improperly handling protected birds of prey

A Government of Ontario conservation officer vehicle is seen in this generic image. (Source: Ministry of Natural Resources)

Two London, Ont. men have been fined a total of $3,500 for capturing and unlawfully keeping a red-tailed hawk in captivity.

According to a news release from the province, in November 2024 the Ministry of Natural Resources received a tip that a red-tailed hawk was being kept illegally.

Over the course of an investigation, conservation officers determined that on Oct. 15, 2024, a man from London and a licenced falconer, captured a red-tailed hawk in the City of London.

The ministry says he did not band the hawk or enter the capture into his logbook as required.

The investigation later revealed the first man “unlawfully transferred the hawk” to his apprentice, also a man from London, who did not have any falconry licences at the time.

Both men submitted their annual falconry reports to the ministry with false information regarding the capture and banding of the hawk.

Following the investigation the first man pled guilty to several offences, including unlawfully transferring a specially protected raptor taken from the wild to another person, failing to mark a specially protected raptor with a band immediately after it was taken, failing to update his falconry logbook within the required timeframe, and making a false statement in a document.

He was fined $2,000 and is prohibited from acting as a sponsor for any apprentice falconers for two years.

A second man also pled guilty to unlawfully keeping live specially protected wildlife in captivity without the authority of a licence, unlawfully keeping an unmarked bird in captivity, and making a false entry in a logbook.

He was fined $1,500.

In addition, the man’s falconry licence was cancelled, which will prevent him from possessing, applying for or obtaining a falconry or apprentice falconry licence for two years.

Justice of the Peace Clive L.M. Forbes heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in London on July 7, 2025.