Homeless man arrested for barbecuing endangered heron

The police arrested a homeless Russian man in the Haagse Bos on Sunday afternoon after he was caught barbecuing an endangered blue heron, the Overbosch police said on Facebook.

Police officers responded to the Haagse Bos after receiving multiple calls about an open fire in the forest. "That is of course not allowed and despite the snow there is a considerable risk that something like that gets out of hand", the police wrote.

They found the Russian man around a small open fire. By the fire the police also found the remains of what turned out to be a blue heron. "The man had killed, prepared and eaten the heron..." The man told the police that he found the bird dead in the forest. As the police could not determine whether the man found the heron dead or killed it himself, he will not be punished under the Nature Conservation Act.

He was, however, arrested for starting a fire in the forest. He was transferred to the immigration police.