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Injured Falcon And Heron Among 208 Illegal Hunting Victims During Malta’s Spring Season

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Injured Red-Footed falcons, European turtle doves and purple herons were among the 208 illegal hunting victims during this year’s spring hunting season.

BirdLife Malta has just released the number of illegalities that were encountered within the 20-day spring hunting season for 2022, from 10th April to 30th April.

“It was a season riddled with illegalities, which should warrant immediate scrutiny by the European Commission,” BirdLife Malta said in a press statement, describing it as a massacre. 

“Our Spring Watch camp – which fielded an average of just three teams a day across a number of watchpoints in Malta in Gozo – has witnessed over 208 illegal hunting incidents during this period,” it said. 

“During the same period, BirdLife Malta recovered a total of 18 shot birds belonging to 15 protected species whilst Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) police retrieved a further 16 illegal hunting casualties,” it continued. 

“This season was once again marred with the hunting of protected birds, from birds of prey like Marsh-harriers, Common Kestrels, Red-footed Falcons and Ospreys, to others like Nightjars, Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles and Hoopoes,” BirdLife Malta Head of Conservation Nicholas Barbara explained.

“The illegally shot birds retrieved by BirdLife Malta and police are only a few birds that hunters do not manage to get hold of and represent an indicator of the level of illegal killing of various protected species that ensues whenever Malta opens a hunting season during the spring migration of these European species,” he continued.

BirdLife Malta also believes that many of these birds will be used for stuffing and taxidermy related practices.

“While over 8,000 hunters were given a licence to practice for three weeks of hunting season, thousands of protected birds were massacred to be added to personal taxidermy collections under the 1997 and 2003 amnesties, a practice further revived thanks to recent changes in legislation issued before the last election, while the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) remains a spectator rather than a regulator to this illegal trade in wildlife,” he concluded.

The lack of control over the hunting of protected species spanned also to the target species of the spring hunting derogation – the red-listed Turtle-dove and Common Quail – supposedly controlled by quotas allocated for the season.

BirdLife Malta also reiterates that there is “no doubt” that the national hunting bag limit of Turtle-doves was exceeded.

Do you think there should be more scrutiny on Malta’s hunting practices? 

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Sasha is a writer, creator, and podcast host interested in environmental matters, humans, and art. Some know her as Sasha tas-Sigar. Inspired by nature and the changing world. Follow her on Instagram at @saaxhaa and send her your stories at [email protected]

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