Saturday, 20th September 2008
Birdlife reports shooting of protected species
A pale morph juvenile honey buzzard handed over to Birdlife by the ALE on Thursday. The bird was examined by an independent vet on the same day and put down after it started vomiting blood. This species is protected under LN 79 of 2006 Annex 1. Photo: Birdlife
A pale-phase juvenile honey buzzard was yesterday put down because of severe internal injury caused by gunshot, Birdlife said.
The bird was initially recovered by the police from the sea in Wied Iż-Żurrieq on Thursday and handed over to the organisation.
Birdlife said yesterday morning it received another honey buzzard bearing gunshot-inflicted injuries and police Administration Law Enforcement (ALE) unit officers recovered a third from Laferla Cross, limits of Siġġiewi.
In addition, Birdlife said, four hunters were yesterday afternoon sighted in a boat in the Gozo channel shooting at a party of little egrets.
The sea hunting season is closed and will open in October.
As bird migration gathers pace across the Mediterranean, Birdlife voiced its anger at the despicable actions of irresponsible hunters who shoot protected birds right in front of international and Maltese birdwatchers participating in Birdlife's Raptor Camp.
"The increasing number of incidents coincides with the half-way point of Birdlife's Raptor Camp, which started on Saturday.
"The aim of the initiative is to have teams of birdwatchers monitoring key sites to assess the numbers of birds passing through the island and to work with the authorities to clamp down on illegal hunting," the NGO explained.
Tolga Temuge, executive director of Birdlife, said: "Some Maltese hunters continue to disregard the law and protected wildlife by opting to gun down protected species. The hunting lobby's denial of the scale of illegal hunting is clearly encouraging illegal hunters. Those who claim to be law-abiding hunters are also guilty if they do not report the illegal shooting of protected species that they witness".
Birdlife predicted that the illegal killing of protected birds will rise rapidly over the next few days as the numbers of birds passing through increases. It called on the government to double the fines for repeat offenders and suspend the licences temporarily.
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Comments
Anyway, Mr. Farrugia and Mr. T. Borg, you are indeed mud slinging the law-abiding hunters. Have you read Mr. M. Mifsud Bonnici's comments regarding proposals being made? Maybe, being abolitionist, such things do not ring well to your ears!!!
Am I missing something here? Slinging mud as in slinging lead? Doing sensible things as in killing birds? Priceless!!
Read what i write carefully. Where did i state that your should be ashamed of yourself.
The ones to be ashamed are those that shoot protected species and those that use this fact in order to tarnish all hunters irrespective of whether they are law abiding or not.
Do you fall in any of the above catagories?
Why should I be ashamed? Of what should I be ashamed?
Yes, I have said it many times and I will continue to say it: hunting has to be stopped. Don't come telling me that most of you hunters are law-abiding citizens, when you see an interesting bird flying in the sky! It's in your blood! You want to kill, kill, kill! And what for???? This is what I ask.
Can you please point out where I am defending these criminals.
it is Birdlife that is suggesting that "government to double the fines for repeat offenders and suspend the licences temporarily." which means that after they pay a fine and re-obtain a license they can carry on their illegal activity.
Law abiding hunters would like to see repeat offenders behind bars.
The Governmnet has banned September afternoon hunting to make it easier for you and your foreign abolotionists to identify the illegal hunters. Hope you have a good time chasing them and hopefully you can rid us of the existing few.
You can rest assured that all law abiding hunters want proof of your accusations and not just a close-up gory picture of a dead buzzard aimed to stir up emotions. You have foreigners to help you and the police at your disposal so what more do you want.
With sixteen thousand hunters in Malta if illegalities where what Birdlife state there would be dead birds in their thousands not just the occasional report.
have your (i presume) San Umbertu Shooters (not FKNK), proposals been published?
If not can you publish them please - so one can establish their practical relevance...and at the same time Govt. will have to clarify it's position.
Any initiative to eradicate abuses is most welcome.
However to harp on the 'small' number of criminal hunters - when other hunters are daily at the same sites where such abuses continue to happen - leads one to believe that the number of criminal hunters are much more, or their actions are tacitly being approved.
you say:
"I thank God every day for the fact that the Government has finally rustled up the courage to do something."
What exactly has government done?
Apart from allowing itself to be ridiculed by foreigners in pointing out how inefficient and incompetent it is in controlling abuse.
I feel that the Government should adopt such suggestions as that is the way forward and not abolition as being suggested by the selfish few!
What is this....Birdlife tarnishing the reputation of hunters? Do you know that yesterday evening and this morning there was a massacre of birds of prey all over our islands? And you still insist that it is Birdlife that is tarnishing the reputaion of hunters. And you call yourself a law abiding hunter? Shame on you as well.
@Franco Farrugia: and so say all of us.
@ RCZ the shame is on BLM for continuing to use dirty tactics to tarnish the reputation of the majority of the hunters, by misinform and mislead the public, things where moving into the right direction, but BLM chose the persist in taking away our legal right to hunt in spring as no alternative exist in autumn.
Is this how they plan to rid our country of the irresponsible element which law abiding hunters consider undesirable.
It is no wonder that the problem of illegal shooting can never be stamped out. Considering Government heeds Birdlife Malta's advice whenever new regulations are drafted, similar suggestions are a joke.
We proposed a system to the Prime Minister for the issuing of new licenses that would curtail illegalities, the creating of an environment warden system paid for from hunting license fees, and other measures to help eradicate any abuse.
Out proposals have not even been acknowledged. Government prefers to be ridiculed by foreigners pointing out illegalities rather than heeding our advice.
The presence of a minority of illegal shooters can only be blamed upon continuous years of a total lack of enforcement and a ridiculous system for granting new hunting licenses.
If the problem that exists seems difficult to control the least we can do is ensure that any future hunters will not have any undesirables lumped within their numbers.
What is the Government waiting for to implement our suggestions?
Look at that picture, especially those who we know are so vociferous in the way they protest in favouro of hunters! Isn't it a beautiful sight? Why not write to the newspaper and get a proper photo of it so that you can hang it up in your bedrooms?
Long may the day come when there will be no more hunting in our country!
ISTHU! (Shame on you!)