[WATCH] BirdLife Malta catches poachers shooting protected marsh harriers at Delimara

BirdLife Malta volunteers and members caught hunters shooting at protected marsh harriers during the first hours of the night in Delimara.

According to the NGO a number of hunters had their eyes on a roost of around 30 birds of prey, mainly western marsh harriers (Bagħdan Aħmar). The BirdLife Malta team remained on site throughout the night and eventually heard gunshots.

Through night vision optics, the team was able to record one of the birds being shot at and falling into a field.

BirdLife Malta said the police were informed of the incident and members of the Rapid Intervention Unit eventually arrived on site. However, they arrived too late to catch the culprits, and were unsure of what to do.

Both Birdlife Malta and the RIU remained on site until daylight, after which they searched the area to retrieve the injured birds. Four were found alive and handed over to the government veterinarians. A fifth marsh harrier was found dead.

The NGO described the incident as a massacre and said the scene left those present in shock. BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana said it was “shocking and unacceptable”, and added that government had a lot to answer for.

“There is an inacceptable racket going on with the blessing of the country’s government. Why do you think hunters are killing these protected birds? Why do you think a young man kills four Flamingos at Qawra Point and jumps into the sea to retrieve them?” he questioned.

The spring hunting season opened last Sunday, but only for turtle dove and quail species due to a derogation applied by the Maltese government. Western marsh harriers are a protected species and cannot be hunted legally.

Government had introduced a moratorium on turtle dove hunting in spring after the species was classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Meanwhile, the NGO demanded that the Prime Minister make sure the vetting of the lists of protected species in hunters’ collections commences immediately and is undertaken by bird experts within the Environment and Resources Authority.

This process for hunters to declare their collections was never completed, with BirdLife Malta having argued that government effectively granted an amnesty to those who transferred such specimens without written authorisation from the Wild Birds Regulation Unit.

It further demanded that wildlife crime enforcement should be taken seriously since Malta is already facing infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission on this subject.

BirdLife Malta’s Head of Conservation Nicholas Barbara said the NGO will submit a detailed report to the European Commission on this incident, and others of recent past.