Injured marsh harrier found in Gozo

A juvenile marsh harrier, shot and injured in Gozo, became the first documented victim of the hunting season, which officially opened yesterday.

The hunter's federation (FKNK) cautioned its members on the eve of the season's opening to shoot exclusively at permitted game - quail and turtle doves.

In the morning a passer-by in Gozo came across a marsh harrier with fresh gunshot wounds to its wing. In the afternoon, BirdLife released a picture saying it was the bird that had been taken to the police station by the person who found it.

The organisation released another picture, also of a marsh harrier, it said was found by a birdwatcher in an advanced state of decomposition suggesting it was shot well before yesterday. It said the bird was carrying a ring showing it had come from Finland.

BirdLife Malta executive director Tolga Temuge said such reported incidents represent only the tip of the iceberg because "these criminals who shoot at protected species are likely to hide or destroy the evidence".

"Yet, the fact that we have received many reports of illegal hunting even before the opening of another illegal spring hunting season gives an idea of the illegal activity that is going on out there."

The police's Administrative Law Enforcement unit has fewer than 30 officers in Malta and Gozo to control more than 16,000 hunters and trappers, Mr Temuge pointed out.