Alert bird guards lead to find of protected species
A wood sandpiper seized by ALE officers during a raid in Baħrija on Tuesday.
The police Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) unit seized 75 protected wader and song birds during a raid in a greenhouse in Baħrija late on Tuesday evening.
The raid followed a tip off by the international Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), members of which are presently in Malta.
The committee said CABS members heard an unusual bird call coming from the greenhouse during a routine patrol in the afternoon. CABS press officer Axel Hirschfeld said the call was identified as that of a sandpiper, an unusual sight next to greenhouses and, therefore, arousing their suspicion.
The police were immediately contacted. ALE officers arrived 15 minutes later and began a search of the complex, Mr Hirschfeld recounted.
"They soon discovered a large aviary, which contained almost exclusively protected species."
Altogether, 32 little stints, 13 wood sandpipers, eight common sandpipers, five little ringed plovers, five green sandpipers, two white wagtails, two yellow wagtails and a red-throated pipit, a dunlin, a temminch's stint and a ring ouzel were seized.
CABS said three other birds died before their release. The remainder, many of which had their wings clipped, were subsequently cared for by Mepa specialists.
The seizure was the largest yet made and experts estimated that the total market value of the birds exceeds €20,000.
The birds were kept in police custody throughout the night and taken to the Għadira nature reserve yesterday morning, where they were released.
CABS said its members will remain on the island until September 28 in order to cooperate with the police and conservationists to combat illegal hunting and trapping.
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15 Comments
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Simon Vella
Sep 19th 2008, 22:37
Any chance the CABS go help Frontex to stop illegal immigrants? or maybe take some with them to their countries, after all as Mr Franco Farrugia said This is no longer a question of interference. One people - one world! One village! The global village.
philip toledo
Sep 19th 2008, 14:25
20,000 euros???? i have a feeling an extra zero has been added!! no more rubbish please!!
nazzareno dimech
Sep 18th 2008, 21:20
I recomend the goverment to keep the cabs to lookout for illigal emigration too after the hunting season is over !!!!!!!!!!!
Rudolf Ragonesi
Sep 18th 2008, 20:26
well done to CABS and to the ALE for their response. Keep it up.
Robert Sultana
Sep 18th 2008, 19:24
Something like this for sure is condemned by both serious birdwatchers and law -abiding hunters. But what amazes me is the fact that a 3.5 kg heroin find at the airport seems to carry less import in our society judging from the amount of comments aimed at this news item and similar ones and not at the other (i.e the drug find).
Franco Farrugia
Sep 18th 2008, 15:59
As opposed to what J Farrugia states in his usual comments, I am so happy that these foreigners are here to see for themselves what is happening in our country, a member of the EU.
Yes, I applaud their efforts and I do not consider theirs as foreign interference. This is no longer a question of interference. One people - one world! One village! The global village.
And well done Birdlife for the great and unthankful work you're doing in Malta and Gozo.
Ingrid Jones-cameron
Sep 18th 2008, 14:53
good job cabs. keep it up! you should stay all year and 'help' the law enforcement to do their job lol! Probably this is a 'needle in a haystak' wonder how many of these attrocities are hidden away from the public eye. Keep it up and please do interfere in the future. you are more than welcome.
Carmelo Aquilina
Sep 18th 2008, 14:17
If this is 'foreign interference' then we want more of it !
Joseph Galea
Sep 18th 2008, 12:31
It really is unbelievable that after such a news item there are some who continue to be apologists for trappers/hunters who continue to blatantly flout the law. If CABS were instrumental in bringing another of these 'cowboys' to justice, then more power to them. If FKNK wants any credibility it would have been active within its own trapper/hunter fraternity or community to identify abuses such as this and report them to the police itsef. Until it starts to do this they can scream 'foreign interference' until they are blue in the face.
L. Mercieca
Sep 18th 2008, 10:58
@ stephen grech
I think you should argue the clipping of such birds with the trapper who did this in the first place. The harm has been done and releasing the bird in their natural habitat i think is the best solution for their recovery.
Only God knows how many more birds were trapped and died in captivity before this finding. These birds are made to live close to water not in greenhouses or aviaries. Hope FKNK sees the pityful state of these birds..... is this their so called Conservation????
Hunters and trappers should grow up and start admiring birds not torturing them.....
Phil Humphries
Sep 18th 2008, 10:48
@ J.Farrugia.
What shame is there in helping the MALTESE authorities to uphold MALTESE LAW and bring criminals to justice ? Surely the shame is on those who break the law and on those who turn a blind eye to such illigalities. Perhaps you might think differently if the crime was committed against you personally.
stephen grech
Sep 18th 2008, 10:34
I'm a little baffled with this news. The said experts estimated that the total value of these birds exceed 20,000 euros on the market! But then, these "experts" didn't realise that when released at the Ghadira reserve, these birds will not survive because they will not be able to feed themselves because of the clipped wings! Besides that they will be sitting targets for birds of prey and rats which surely will make a nice banquet out of them. These birds should have been kept in safe aviaries until their primary feathers would have regrown and then released. But obviousely that's not important, the important thing is hitting the news with the good job these foreigners are doing!
John C. Betts
Sep 18th 2008, 10:20
Mr. Farrugia, this is not foreign interference, this is a godsend. They are not controlling the police, they are cooperating. And cooperation is welcomed by the police.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Sep 18th 2008, 10:11
And yet the Maltese police have never made such finds...
Wonder why?
J Farrugia
Sep 18th 2008, 10:08
CABS have started their foreing interference in our affairs. Birdlife should be ashamed of itself for bringing in foreigners to control the malta police. And more will come.