Hunters break into nature reserve, target flamingoes

Two flamingoes that stopped at the Ghadira Nature Reserve have not been safe from the hunters' guns, BirdLife Malta said after reporting that two people even tried to break into the reserve between Thursday and Friday night.

The organisation stressed that it was only the timely intervention of the watchman on duty which prevented them from killing the two flamingoes.

BirdLife Malta have alerted the police to keep a watch on the area since a number of hunters have already been seen lurking in the vicinity.

The two flamingoes - an adult with the typical pinkish colour, and a younger bird - settled in the reserve on Wednesday and have spent the past four days feeding regularly and resting.

Since this is a rare sighting for the Maltese Islands, BirdLife Malta is opening the reserve for public viewing between 10 a.m. and midday. The reserve normally opens between November and May

"Should the birds still be at the reserve they will offer a unique chance to most people to enjoy the beauty of this bird species," the organisation said in a statement.

BirdLife Malta yesterday called upon the Police Commissioner to "get his act together" and enforce the bird protection laws since illegal hunting continues to be the order of the day in Malta and Gozo.

The organisation said it continued receiving daily reports of illegal hunting. It said hunters were also out on Independence Day and last Sunday afternoon they carried on with their indiscriminate slaughter with complete disregard for families picnicking in the countryside - although hunting is not allowed after 1 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays.

Bird watchers have recounted seeing birds of prey with dangling broken legs, missing feathers and abnormally shaped wings after many flight feathers had been shot off. A spoonbill that landed at the reserve had at least five patches of bloodstained feathers. An injured marsh harrier was found floating in the sea at Delimara, still alive but suffering a shot in its breast, broken legs and one wing almost amputated by gunshots.

BirdLife added that birds of prey were the main target of illegal hunting, with an endangered osprey being shot in Ghajn Tuffieha on September 21, and a Short-toed Eagle coming under a barrage from at least five hunters at Mizieb on September 23.

"This situation is unacceptable, and someone has to answer for this free-for-all situation," BirdLife Malta president Joseph Mangion said.

"It seems we are back in the dark ages, and yet the police are incapable of bringing the situation under control. The Commissioner of Police has assured us time and again that all the police would be mobilised to tackle illegal hunting as for other offences. Yet instead of an improvement we are witnessing a deterioration of the situation. We demand immediate concrete action by the Commissioner of Police to control these abuses"