Shot gull found at Valletta breakwater
Number of protected shot birds has declined drastically - BirdLife
An Audouin's gull, a threatened species, was found with gunshot injuries at the Valletta breakwater early this week, BirdLife Malta said yesterday.
The juvenile was taken to a vet but had to be put down due to the extent of its injuries.
Europe holds 75 per cent of the global Audouin's gull population, with the majority of the 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 conservation manager André Raine, said.
"This bird represented one of the summer's successful offspring and would have added to the European population of this threatened species," he said.
Over the last two months, BirdLife said it had received reports of illegal killing and trapping of protected birds including a number of species breeding on the island. They include a shot marsh harrier, which was handed over to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for rehabilitation on May 13, two yellow-legged gulls, a little bittern, a European hobby and a short-eared owl.
It said it had informed Mepa about such cases, including this last case.
The number of protected shot birds we received during spring has declined drastically compared to previous years, thanks to the spring hunting ban, BirdLife reported. It said its members have witnessed a colony of collared doves in Gozo being targeted and several illegal cage traps for turtle doves scattered throughout the countryside.
"The rabbit hunting season has been used by some hunters as a loophole to illegally shoot at birds," Dr Raine claimed. BirdLife said it has informed the police ALE section about the ongoing abuse but its response since early June has been very limited as most ALE officers are assigned almost exclusively to other duties including beach patrols.
"The first ban on spring hunting will surely have conservation benefits for breeding birds on both an international and local level. However, as this latest incident shows, there are some hunters still breaking the law during the critical months of the breeding season. Even if only a minority of hunters illegally shoot or trap the breeding birds this summer, they will put an end to many of the breeding attempts by some of the rarer breeding species of Malta," Dr Raine said.
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Chris Galea
Jul 25th 2008, 22:39
@Franco Farrugia
yes of coarse I don't blame you,after constantly being brainwashed by the media....I'm not surprised...if I had no idea about bird migration I'd probably be against hunting.If you had abit of knowledge about the subject it would be very easy to realize that's it's a completely different scenario than the one delivered by birdlife.The public is constantly bombared by anti hunting messages.
If you believe birdlife tell me where are all the millions of birds that according to birdlife should have migrated over Malta,tell me why they left to sicily to birdwatch when here was no hunting,tell where all the turtle doves and quails that according to birdlife should have nested here and tell me where is Malta's potentail in bird watching ? and after all we ( hunters) have no interests in EU funding,we just want to enjoy our pastime,and pratice what was promised to us..though now we can easily see that we were promised the fish in the sea !!!!!!!!!!!!
Franco Farrugia
Jul 25th 2008, 17:53
@ C Galea et al.: I don't think so. I am a member of the public and I know who to believe - Birdlife!
Andrew Gatt
Jul 25th 2008, 17:01
@Chris Galea...........yes indeed Chris - a very valid point! After boring us to death with their fairy tales about incredible numbers of bird migrating over Malta, after they instigated EU court proceedings against Malta - OUR COUNTRY - off they went to monitor bird migration in the Straits of Messina, no less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How shameful. These are the same people who would have the public believe that thousands (not millions, at least!) of birdwatchers will be flooding into Malta if only hunting is banned! What hypocritical behaviour.
Chris Galea
Jul 25th 2008, 16:37
@R Bajada
Yes indeed....IZ-ZEJT JITLA F'WICC L-ILMA & L-GIDDIED GHOMRU QASIR..........
They constantly accuse us of shooting protected species ( something that has declined drastically over the past six years) but they're not realizing that they're shooting themselves in their foot....they're pushing too much...the public in general ( non-hunters) sooner or later are going realize that many reports are exaggerated and untrue,like the famous one that millions of birds migrate over Malta,I'd like to ask Dr Raine why last April ( peak time migration) Birdlife Malta and other birdwatchers were off to sicily to birdwatch...when the hunting season was closed,they basically had all Malta for themselves but they simply did not stay.With abit of common sense one could easily make one plus one !!
R.Bajada
Jul 25th 2008, 14:07
Why is it that the same article appeared on this website yestarday 24th July at 10.32CET but it had
a different heading
a different photo
and slightly different wording
Is it perhaps because in yesterday's photo the seagull had no BLOOD on it's wing?
Is it perhaps because of the comments received by the Times on line readers?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080724/local/drastic-decline-in-shot-protected-birds-birdlife/
Maybe it's about time Dr Raine asks his fellow Maltese members about the meaning of:
IZ-ZEJT JITLA F'WICC L-ILMA IL-GIDDIEB GHOMRU QASIR
Gilbert Haber
Jul 25th 2008, 13:15
How can one even dare to think that this bird was shot?
That must have been run over by a car (or rather a boat).........................
chris galea
Jul 25th 2008, 11:27
Dear Dr Raine,since when marsh harriers,little bitterns,hobbies and short eared owls migrate in June and July ? You well know that these species migrate in september and april !!! Protected birds should NOT be shot , but misleading the public I think is simply unacceptable.Your same old tatics are losing colour.
Edward Farrugia
Jul 25th 2008, 10:28
Proofs Dr.Raine. You know like "X" rays. Or you was flying next to it when it was shot near the BREAKWATER. Another story like the night heron at the San Anton Gardens???
Michael DeBono
Jul 25th 2008, 10:18
Once again, the hunting season is about to open in a month's time, so Birdlife & co are trying to do their best to give a bad impression of the hunters. But come on, do we still believe these accusations? Dr Raine, we are fed up of all your articles regarding what we should do in our country. Please return to your country. You're doing no good to us, on the contrary you're harming the maltese reputation. Authorities please note. We're not just bad hunters here, we have a beautiful country with happy people, no matter what he says. It's always the same story again and again. We're disgusted now. I condemn illegal hunting, but come on, hunting can never be abolished because of a person's false allegations and exaggerations.
Was the gull really shot? In its wing? God forbid that Mater Dei will adopt such measures, as a I would be put down if I went to accident and emergency with a broken arm or leg! I am no vet but I'm pretty sure it would have survived. It doesn't seem to have injuries in its abdomen. But maybe I'm mistaken and Dr Raine is right, as always, Amen.
Andrew Gatt
Jul 25th 2008, 10:06
Well, seems like the hunting season is due to open shortly, 'cos here we go again! Let's have a look at the Birdlife action plan for Autumn 2008:
1. Collect all poaching incidents since May and publicise them on the usual anti-hunting media. Sensationalise, exaggerate, insinuate and point fingers.
2. Continue to give the impression that poaching is rampant throughout all of Malta and Gozo
3. Imply that this is the reason NO BREEDING apart from one or two nests took place - IN SPITE of Spring Hunting being banned. "Many breeding attempts" harr harr harr! Where? What? How many?
And after all, according to Birdlife, if Spring Hunting stops, the birds will breed......millions of them! Yeah. Right. Go outside. Have a look. Empty skies, empty countryside. One other thing....I find it interesting that, despite several attempts to ask this question on Birdlife's Guestbook (Total entries - 91), my posts are censored and never appear. Why not, Dr. Raine? Is it possible that Birdlife has nothing to say for once??
4.