‘Hunters not fooling anyone’, BirdLife reaction to Commission report

BirdLife said it continues to receive numerous shot protected birds and witnesses illegalities committed on a daily basis in widespread locations throughout the islands.

“Protected species ranging from Barn Swallows (Huttafa), common migrants for Malta, to Lesser Spotted Eagles (Ajkla tat-tikek), rare migrants for Malta, have been witnessed targeted by illegal hunters over this autumn migration season,” campaigns coordinator Geoffrey Saliba said.

The FKNK yesterday submitted a report to the European Commission claiming the safe passage of migratory birds had improved.

“The FKNK apparently refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of this situation and claims that the ‘situation has improved considerably’. We have yet to see evidence of this as only the recent cases of a German-ringed Osprey (Arpa), a Finnish-ringed Common Kestrel (Spanjulett), Spoonbills (Paletta), Black Storks (Cikonja Sewda) and a Short-toed Eagle (Ajkla Bajda) being shot at and killed within hours of their arrival to Malta, confirm.”

BirdLife Malta reiterated its position that a wildlife crime unit should be established and fines for repeat offenders should be increased to a level that acts as a serious deterrent.