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Protected bird of prey shot in front of Spring Watch team
BirdLife Malta Spring Watch witness several shootings of protected birds, claim to have been subject to aggressive behaviour.
19 April 2011, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
Geoffrey Saliba, BirdLife Malta Campagins Coordinator said the BLM's Spring Watch team at Handaq yesterday morning witnessed a Montagu's Harrier shot just a few hundred meters away.
“The protected bird of prey was later recovered by police officers who responded to BirdLife Malta's call,” Saliba said.
He added another team also witnessed the shooting of two other birds of prey at Has-Saptan area next to the airport in Luqa and the police were also called in.
Saliba said that on Sunday, other teams recorded illegal shooting at all seven locations visited:
“Teams also recorded illegal electronic quail lures, protected kestrels shot at in Marsascala, and armed hunters in the countryside on a Sunday morning when all hunting activity is illegal.”
Saliba said these past two days seven protected birds - four Marsh Harriers, a Grey Heron, a Montagu's Harrier, and a Yellow Legged Gull - were seen by Spring Watch teams in flight with gunshot injuries.
Meanwhile, BirdLife team claim to have been subject to aggressive behaviour.
“A pick-up truck yesterday evening stopped barely short of driving into a Spring Watch team at the Red Tower, causing one team member to jump out of its way to avoid being hit. A group of men then leapt out the truck and started insulting the volunteers,” Saliba said.
He said the incident lasted some 40 minutes during which team members were sworn at, insulted, and the local team leader threatened and told “We know were you live”. Mobile police reacted to a call for assistance and dispersed the aggressors.
Saliba said BirdLife will be compiling a report and sending it to the European Commission at the end of the spring hunting derogation.
Footage of the incidents may be seen on www.birdlifemalta.org
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
Luke Camilleri •
Ma jitghallmu QATT!
L'hekk imsejjha Kaccaturi Malti mhux dehen li jinghataw il-fiducja u mhux kapaci josservaw il-ligijiet!
Imbaghad immur xi bravu mill-Korp tal-Puluzija u jaghtihom lura is-senters konfiskati !
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just wondering whether we would have been ever aware of the fact that protected birds are being killed, were it not for the dedicated birdlife members.
BLM's claims had been dismissed for years by FKNK, and it was only when raw footage was presented that the hunting lobby accepted the fact - only to hide behind poachers - and dismissing the fact that it and its members had turned a blind eye for years on end.
And notwithstanding all this some still have the gall to attack Birdlife - rather than rounding up the sick minds within their midst who also happen to carry and use guns.
This is no tug of war between birdwatchers and hunters - but between those who effectively want to safeguard nature and the others who's only raison d'etre is killing birds.
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They say the bag limit works out to only a few birds per hunter. The guys sitting outside my house must either be getting more than their fair share - or otherwise they are incredibly bad shots - because the let off hundreds of shots every day.
