'Drastic decline' in shot protected birds - BirdLife
BirdLidfe Malta said today that the Spring hunting ban had led to a drastic decline in the number of shot protected birds, but shootings were picking up again during the summer.
It made its comment as it reported that a young Audouin’s Gull, a threatened species, was found with serious gun shot injuries at the Valletta Breakwater early this week (picture).
The bird was taken to a veterinary but had to be euthanized due to the extent of its injuries. Europe holds 75% of the global Audouin’s Gull population, with the majority of the highly localised breeding colonies located in Spain.
“There are no records of Audouin’s Gull breeding in Malta, so this bird must have fledged from its nest a few months ago in one of its European breeding colonies,” BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager André Raine said.
BirdLife said that over the last two months it had received several reports of illegal killing and trapping of protected birds including a number of breeding species. Among the birds that were shot were a Marsh Harrier, two Yellow-legged Gulls, a Little Bittern, a European Hobby and a Short-eared Owl.
“The number of protected shot birds we received during spring has declined drastically compared to previous years thanks to the spring hunting ban. However, poaching has started to pick up throughout the summer breeding season, as we have witnessed poachers targeting a new colony of Collared Doves in Gozo, and of several illegal cage traps being found for Turtle Doves scattered throughout the countryside. The rabbit hunting season has also been used by some hunters as a loophole to illegally shoot at birds,” continued Dr Raine.
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19 Comments
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malcolm said
Jul 27th 2008, 09:15
The same old story........poor birdlies. I want to ask only one question. Could anybody(BIRDLIES and CO) really tell me if this gull is really injured or not from this picture? please illuminate me as I cant tell as I see no blood on the wing or on the whole gull.
could this bird just hit something and broke its wing???? just two days ago I was seeing "Animal inspectors" and they found a gannet with a broken wing, for sure it was not shot, if it was found here the blame was of the hunters for sure, and the gannet was not euthanized but cured and released back in the wild. It took a lot of time and money to cure but Birdlies dont have money to cure birds it seems. they use the money to continue their hatred campaign against Maltese hunters and trappers.
malcolm said
Jul 26th 2008, 23:09
Dear Mr.Raine,
As usual ....a person holding a bird but no face shown. For me this gull is 100% healthy. I cant see any injuries in its wing. from where do you think this bird was shot??? maybe from fort sant angelo? or from the school of Bigi?? Come on Dr.Raine, stop your hatred campaign against maltese hunters. be more honest pls for the sake of the honest maltese citizens. Could it be that this Gull hit something and broke its wing?? Of course not. as you say, it is the blame of hunters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks.
MALCOLM SAID.
G.Grech
Jul 25th 2008, 15:49
@ DVella
Maybe you get some inspiration of what one can do with an injured bird that cannot be introduced back to its natural habitat.
http://www.lipu.it/oasi/oasiDettaglio.asp?137
http://www.nbpc.co.uk/
http://www.alaskaraptor.org/
G.Grech
Jul 25th 2008, 15:17
@DVella
I have the right to question whoever I like! It is up to the person concerned to decide giving me answers or not...but I am pretty sure neither you nor any veterinary will ever give answers to my questions. Neither will Birdlife.
And I really like your way of reasoning...if the bird cannot be reintroduced into its natural habitat.....oh yes...euthanize...I hope you are not a Vet and is Bird LIFE really interested in Birds' LIFES!!!!
S.Muscat
Jul 25th 2008, 08:40
....Continued
The shots could be heard from across the valley not just from the vineyards area. Unless now maybe someone wants to speculate that the autofiring for vineyards is also done on plain land as well nearer to Nadur tower. But if you hunters want to vouch and take a an oath that one of your lovely friends did not decide to go hunting...well then I'll know what your argurments really are. If you can guarantee that there surely, beyond your reasonable doubt no one was shooting (apart from the autoshots near the vineyards) beh...
As I said, i am not conversant into hunting practices and laws and at the time did not know that hunting season is currently closed. So at the time I just said, istra, regghew bdew jisparaw. X'gost u textix!
S. Muscat
Jul 25th 2008, 08:32
@Patrick Sciberras.
Wish I could hold your wanna be story as true. But I can assure you that the shot were accompanied by men with shotguns. I was staying right on top of the valley and being a person who loves nature I always carry binoculars. Now if you want to speculate that the men were inflatable dummies (I agree they are dummies) which could move, aim and murder birds...then lets go with your fantasy.
Muscat - may I ask you, instead, not to comment when you are totally ignorant of the facts. I know, I was there, I saw with my own eyes. But of course the hunting lobby with try to ridicule every comment that they dont like. They will probably pass the pictureof the shot bird here as a decoy plastic bird.
DVella
Jul 25th 2008, 01:42
G Grech, are you perchance a qualified Vetinary? I thought not . . . . . because no proper vetinary would be so preposterous as to decide whether an animal is seriously injured or not from a mere glance at a photograph, particularly when the photograph might be of a totally different creature. Moreover, what gives you the right to question and criticise the judgement of a qualified professional?
Even if the bird in question 'only had wing injuries' as you pompously proclaim, what would you suggest doing with it? Put it in a little cage maybe? Were you slightly better informed, it should be obvious to you that even a moderate wing injury can prevent a bird from flying, particularly over the distances typically traversed by this species. A bird that can not fly across its natural territory and follow its typical migration route can not feed itself, avoid predators, mate or perform any of the actions natural to the species. Any attempt to return it to its natural environment would be a slow death sentence. Once again I ask, what would YOU do with it?? Put it in a cage?
Richard Cachia Zammit
Jul 24th 2008, 21:49
So pathetic. Birdlife Malta says that there has been a drastic decline in the shooting of protected birds and yet the hunting lobby, instead of condemning those that still persist to do so, refer to it as mud-slinging. Just because hunting is legal in autumn, it doesn't mean that protected birds can be shoot., and as long as irresponsible shooters continue to kill protected birds, Birdlife Malta has the right to speak out.
G.Grech
Jul 24th 2008, 21:08
Birdlife must definitely change their Veterinary as it seems that s/he is very quick to decide that these injured birds have to be euthanized. I wonder how many birds s/he has managed to cure from their injuries. From the photo it clearly shows that the bird is NOT seriously injured but only has wing injuries: and wing injuries are NOT life threatening. Maybe Birdlife see more potential for public sympathy with a dead bird than with a cured one. Just like Birdlife did not give a damn about the injured bird at San Anton just a few months ago because it did not have shotgun injuries? Or is it maybe that Birdlife are not receiving enough funds from the government, the EU and their foreign counterparts to try and save injured birds?
I hope Mater Dei will adopt these Birdlife “vets” mentality or else you will risk being put down for a broken arm!!
john borg
Jul 24th 2008, 19:31
i assure mr s muscat (the first comment) that those heard were really shots!!! but not by hunters but the other way round, thats a machine installed by farmers to scare pest birds from eating their precious grapes!!!!! by the way has anyone seen any millions of birds while the season was closed????
Patrick Sciberras
Jul 24th 2008, 16:50
Dear Mr S Muscat,
What you heard are gas operated devices to scare sparrows away from the vineyards abundant on both sides of Xaghra i.e. Marsalforn valley and Ramla valley. So please before commenting get the facts right.
John Inguanez
Jul 24th 2008, 13:20
Birdlife announces a"drastic decline" in shot protected birds.
I am not a hunter, but as a Maltese I would like to know what were the results of the survey carried during the camp in Spring.
Perhaps we could end the polemics about the millions of birds shot over Malta, an allegation which appeared in various british media and hit our tourism.
So please Birdlife publish the survey, so that the British would know how much birds really travel over Malta in Spring.
Ray bajada
Jul 24th 2008, 13:18
At last!!!!!!!!!!!! A statement from Birdlife Malta that poaching is in 'drastic decline'. However, Birdlife Malta have no merit in such decline! Illegal shooting of protected birds has been in drastic decline year after year for at least 7 to 8 years and this can be only attributed to consistent pressure, warnings, surveillance and education by the FKNK. Should the said 'drastic decline' have REALLY been due to the closed spring season, then such a bombastic statement would have been issued on the last week of May not in July!!!!
The said NEW colony of Collared Doves in Gozo has been breeding at the same place at least for the last 3 years.
The report atates that 'poaching has started to pick up throughout the summer' and 'the rabbit hunting season has also been used by some hunters as a loophole to illegally shoot at birds,'. I really wonder what these poachers will be shooting at!......and............if ALL the rabbit hunters were to shoot at birds, that would be insignifcant, considering the number of rabbit hunters.
Anthony Formosa
Jul 24th 2008, 12:39
The bird was seriously injured and found at the Valletta breakwater, so let me guess, it was either shot from the Drydocks, Tigne Point, or from the Valletta water front, the bird was euthanized because of the serious injuries, besides that the bird looks healthy to me, BLM is only able to show us an injured wing that could happen with anything.
BLM never ever before complained of summer shooting, even though rabbit hunting has been practiced for centuries. In the last two months, but not before! BLM received several reports of illegal killing of birds including breeding species, and to my surprise, birds were shot only in singles and not in pairs. I think it's about time that such reports claimed by BLM will be filed in a police station, and who ever report such illegal practices will give enough details before BLM jumps into concussions, otherwise any person can call BLM office and make false reports just to jeopardize our hunting practices
STOP ILLEGAL SUMMER HUNTING, there's nothing to report to the EU commissioner, all birds are illegally shot, even in the nature reserves, ban rabbit hunting.
NICE MOVE!!!
Philip Camilleri
Jul 24th 2008, 12:29
I'm not a hunter but bird life are making too much. The Autumn Season is around the corner. We all know..Criticizing... ..Always the Same. This is our traditional, part of our culture. All the world hunt in this Season ....Shut up then...
Edward Farrugia
Jul 24th 2008, 11:53
Is hunting season going to open soon Dr.Raine?
Lisa Schembri
Jul 24th 2008, 11:36
Why are people such monsters?
In fact why can't we be animals? because animals don't kill each other for fun,they kill for food.
Hunters need to get the point - ''STOP SHOOTING BIRDS''
I can't understand why its so important to them its not like you can make a living out of it.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Jul 24th 2008, 11:00
It is the same OLD STORY! The hunting season is approaching and the mud-slinging campaign by the anti-hunting lobby starts being reported in the media. This is a tactic which has been adopted for many years. Usually it occurs in the preceding month, however this time round it is spilling out further!!
S.Muscat
Jul 24th 2008, 10:57
We spent a weekend in xaghra (Gozo) this last weekend. Loud shots could he heard across the valley all time during the morning and evening, during fri, sat and Sunday. I don't know if the hunting season is open and whether hunting is permitted on Sunday, but I can assure you readers that shots were being fired all the time.