And Then There Were None: Final White Stork From Malta Flock Presumed Killed
Two of the six storks found killed – Photo: CABS
The last remaining white stork from the original flock of 18 which flew to Malta a few weeks ago has not been seen since Saturday and has been presumed shot down.
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) announced today it is offering a €5,000 reward for new information leading to the identification and successful conviction of people responsible for the killing of this and other storks.
CABS, with permission from the Maltese authorities, had originally developed a plan to trap the bird and relocate it to Germany. A specialised bird trapper from Germany was brought over and several large snare traps were installed at the dump in Maghtab where the bird was regularly observed scavenging for food.
“Unfortunately, the bird disappeared the day after the traps were installed; it has not been seen since last Saturday morning and we fear the worst,” CABS wildlife officer Fiona Burrows said. “Illegal taxidermy and collectors who pay several thousands of euros for a dead stork are the driving forces behind the massacre observed in recent days.”
Six of the 18 storks have been found shot and two men have been prosecuted in connection with their poaching. The others remain unaccounted for, but wildlife activists suspect they were gunned down too.
“Storks usually only spend a night in Malta and the fact that these stayed longer shows that they were lost,” BirdLife conservation manager Nicholas Barbara told Lovin Malta. “Our suspicion is that the storks who were gunned down on the first night were the experienced adults of the flock, without whom the remaining storks lost their bearing.”
The hunters’ lobby FKNK has condemned the poaching of the storks, describing it as a vindictive act against the thousands of law-abiding hunters.
READ NEXT: Powerful Street Art Depicts Uncomfortable Reality For Storks Flying Over Malta
