“We unequivocally condemn the mentioned act and are committed to a thorough investigation,” FKNK president Lucas Micallef told Lovin Malta. 

“We strongly disapprove of such actions, as they contradict the principles we uphold. Our unwavering commitment to conservation projects remains a top priority.”

Various pairs of barn owls used to breed in Malta and Gozo regularly until the eighties, BirdLife informed.

The state vet further confirmed that the bird was suffering from a gunshot wound, leading to a broken right wing.

This reintroduction project started in 2018 and is funded by the government through the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU).

The barn owls are bred and reared in captivity in a facility in Buskett before then being released back into the wild where it is hoped that these beautiful birds will then breed once again across the Maltese Islands.

“Sadly for this particular bird, this opportunity was cut short due to illegal hunting which remains rampant and indiscriminatory, with hunters targeting anything that flies, especially during open hunting seasons such as the ongoing season that runs until the end of January 2024,” the NGO stated.

“This incident, which is just part of the tip of the iceberg of what happens with illegal hunting in Malta, reminds us how destructive hunting is and how backward in time we have gone when even the efforts of the hunting lobby to greenwash hunters’  activities, get stained by blood because of the hunters themselves. This is a far cry from true conservation.”

Despite this incident, FKNK was eager to share the success so far of this conservation project, saying that “numerous subjects” have been released over the years, some of which are tracked with GPS transmitters for continuous monitoring.

“We diligently observe their behavior, including night-time surveillance on our CCTV cameras in Buskett.”

What do you make of this tragic irony?