Hunters claim harassment by police

Hunters yesterday complained they were being "harassed by the police" while birdwatchers said birds of prey such as honey buzzards, marsh harriers, kestrels as well as herons, bee-eaters, hoopoes and smaller birds such as swallows and even sparrows were being repeatedly illegally shot.

On Sunday afternoon, when hunting is banned, hunters shot at a spoonbill and killed a marsh harrier at Dwejra, Malta. Other shots were fired at kestrels and harriers in the area. A birdwatcher at Buskett on Sunday counted 41 shots from the area between 5 and 7 pm.

"Birds of prey, herons as well as bee-eaters with missing and broken feathers and dangling broken legs were the order of the day," one birdwatcher said.

Birds of prey were seen being shot around Buskett, Girgenti and is-Salib tal-Gholja on a daily basis, the birdwatcher said.

On several days, illegal activities were also noted at Mizieb, Ghajn Tuffieha and Ras il-Pellegrin areas, when hunters were seen shooting at honey buzzards and marsh harriers.

Hunters at Pembroke were seen shooting at herons and terns on Sunday.

An adult spoonbill that was at the Ghadira nature reserve on Monday had clear evidence that it had ran the gauntlet. It had two blood stains on its neck, two on the upper breast and another on its left wing.

The police have booked a number of hunters who were seen shooting at protected birds or who were found in possession of freshly killed protected birds such as bee-eaters. In one instance, two hunters who were on a speedboat were followed by the police and were arrested after they were seen throwing three guns overboard. The police later retrieved the guns.

In another instance, the police found hunters who were trapping dotterel, a protected species, in the limits of Zejtun. According to law, the only birds that can be trapped from October 1 onwards are finches.

The Federation for Hunting and Conservation yesterday said the police should stop enforcing the regulations issued last March as these put local hunters at a disadvantage compared to European hunters. Experts from the government side and hunters were meeting with a view to rectify them, it said.

The federation said the legal notice should be suspended until it is reviewed and it was unfair that the police were enforcing it because it was creating confrontation with hunters.

The regulations bring Malta in line with the EU Birds directive, further restricting hunting and trapping activity.