Qawra Point should be declared a no-hunting zone, says BirdLife Malta

Birdlife Malta said that the killed Greater Flamingos at Qawra Point on Saturday morning, amplifies its past requests for the area to be declared a no-hunting zone.

“The small islet is very well placed for migratory birds to find refuge on and with its vicinity to BirdLife Malta’s Salina Nature Reserve, birds coming in or out of the reserve have been targeted by hunters in this area,” said BirdLife.

It said that the area is close to the residential area of Qawra and that many complained about the continuous illegal use of bird callers and that bathers feel unsafe with hunters aiming their guns at water birds.

The NGO said that it had been presented with a guardianship deed agreement to take over the area, however this had to be refused until hunting is banned from the area.

“With the illegal killing of birds being highlighted in the European Commission’s legal proceedings on Malta’s derogations, today’s massacre of Greater Flamingos will not go unnoticed, and action will be expected. In view of all this BirdLife Malta is calling on Prime Minister Robert Abela to protect Qawra Point and the birds that fly over it by declaring it a no hunting area. BirdLife Malta is expecting this as the public is outraged at the illegal killing problem in our country.”

BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana stated that Malta needs to solve the illegal bird killing problem, and that this could be done by designating more bird sanctuaries and restarting the verification process of stuffed bird collections that benefited from past amnesties.

He praised and thanked the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) of the Malta Police Force, Qawra Police and the Armed Forces of Malta for this morning’s intervention.