BirdLife calls for spring hunting season to close

BirdLife Europe together with its national partner BirdLife Malta, today strongly asked for an immediate suspension of the ongoing spring hunting season in Malta, in order to prevent more protected birds from being killed and injured.
 
BirdLife Malta said its field surveys on the ground show that this open season is used as a cover for many illegal activities that put at risk many birds of European conservation concern.

The Maltese government allowed, for the period of 13-30 April 2011, the shooting of a limited number of Turtle Dove and Common Quail under a unique derogation on the Birds Directive.
 
During BirdLife Malta’s international Spring Watch camp, held during the peak migration period between 10-24 April, over 800 illegalities spread throughout the countryside were recorded, including the shooting down of protected birds.
 
Furthermore since 13th April alone – the start of the hunting season - BirdLife Malta has received 17 shot birds including rare species such as Black Kite, Purple Heron, Lesser Kestrel, and Montagu’s Harrier. This is just the tip of the iceberg and the real total number of shot protected birds is likely to be much higher.
 
According to Paul Debono, BirdLife Malta director, this shows that even the increased enforcement efforts of the government are neither sufficient nor effective in preventing illegal hunting during spring. "The situation we are witnessing on the ground is terrible and the government has to act now and stop this.”
 
Highlighting the difficulties enforcers face given the widespread law breaking, BirdLife Malta drew attention to a large influx of protected birds of prey last night, which resulted in several large roosts. A very strong police presence, coupled with three teams from conservationist organisation CABS (Committee Against Bird Slaughter) deterred illegal shooting at Mizieb - one of Malta’s most notorious illegal hunting hotspots - while several protected birds were shot at in other areas where police presence was not so prevalent.
 
Evidence collected by BirdLife Malta indicates that this years’ open season is leading to a significant increase in protected birds being killed compared to previous years: In 2008, 2009 and 2010, when virtually no spring hunting was allowed in the country, the numbers of killed protected birds that were recovered by BirdLife Malta in comparable periods of time were much lower: only 1, 7, and 5 respectively.

Angelo Caserta, BirdLife Europe Director, sees Malta in direct violation of the EU Birds Directive. “If a country is not able to safeguard our most protected birds during their dangerous migration from Africa to their European breeding grounds from illegal shooting, it cannot be granted the right to open any hunting season in this critical period.”
 
BirdLife Malta and BirdLife Europe therefore urge the Maltese government to immediately close the current spring hunting season. Angelo Caserta adds: “We also call on the European Commission to take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with EU bird protection law. Malta had already been condemned once by the European Court of Justice for not respecting EU rules on bird protection, it should not be allowed to continue putting our European natural heritage at risk.