Kurt Bugeja Coster
Birdlife reports shooting of protected species
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.
17 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Sep 21st 2008, 14:23
Mr. Farrugia, no wonder you cannot comprehend my argument - your blinkers are not even allowing you to read my surname correctly.
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!!!
T.Borg
Sep 20th 2008, 23:18
Quote Ms.S Zarb Darmanin. [ Yes, Mr. Farrugia, those who enjoy slinging mud instead of doing the sensible things, are to be ashamed!! ]
Am I missing something here? Slinging mud as in slinging lead? Doing sensible things as in killing birds? Priceless!!
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Sep 20th 2008, 20:46
Franco Farrugia
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?
Franco Farrugia
Sep 20th 2008, 19:31
@ Mrs Sylvana Zarb Adami - Slinging mud? Or saying the plain truth? A truth which is far too cumbersome and damning for people like you?
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Sep 20th 2008, 19:14
Yes, Mr. Farrugia, those who enjoy slinging mud instead of doing the sensible things, are to be ashamed!!
Franco Farrugia
Sep 20th 2008, 18:46
@ Sylvana Zarb Adami, Anthony Formosa and Mark Mifsud Bonnici - DON'T YOU DARE PUT THE SHAME ON PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF. What do you mean: shame on us all? I have nothing to be ashamed of. I never go around, wielding a shotgun - an instrument of death! - and kill anything that flies!
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.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Sep 20th 2008, 15:08
@Alex Ellul
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.
J. Borg
Sep 20th 2008, 15:05
@Mark Mifsud Bonnici
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.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Sep 20th 2008, 14:52
@Darren Galea
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.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Sep 20th 2008, 14:46
Mr. M. Mifsud Bonnici's comment made interesting reading. Having the anti-hunting lobby slinging mud at what he wrote is SHAME indeed.
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!
Richard Cachia Zammit
Sep 20th 2008, 14:33
@Anthony Formosa
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.
Alex Ellul
Sep 20th 2008, 14:08
@Mark Mifsud Bonnici: Are you still trying to defend the criminals?
@Franco Farrugia: and so say all of us.
Anthony Formosa
Sep 20th 2008, 13:51
@ Franco Farrugia, It's quite a sensational news with a shocking picture, especially for those vegetarian people, however without trying to ignore the fact that this bird was shot illegally, you have no right to say that hunting must be totally banned from our country. With the same argument then we can call all women & doctors in the world butchers for committing / assisting abortion. We can also call Presidents / Prim Ministers murderers for allowing their soldiers to invade and kill innocent people, and so on. The bottom line is that in this world there are tolerable abuses and non tolerable abuses, and this makes us hypocrites. "Imisna nisthu kollha"
@ 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.
Darren Galea
Sep 20th 2008, 13:27
Its not surprising that the FKNK and their apologists are uttering xenophobic rhetoric about "foreign interference" and the presence of CABS - at least they do something about the problem unlike much (not all) of local enforcement. These beautiful creatures are for all of us to enjoy, especially our children, not for some knuckle-dragging neanderthal to stuff and stick in a glass cabinet. I thank God every day for the fact that the Government has finally rustled up the courage to do something.
Richard Cachia Zammit
Sep 20th 2008, 12:28
Shame on the FKNK. In their website they are inciting their members to report even the smallest incident with Birdlife, CABS and foreigners to the police and nothing about reporting illegal hunting. And just this morning, on the same web site there was a topic against those shooting on Honey Buzzards and how badly they are effecting the image of law abiding hunters and strangely enough, it has been removed from the site. There was one particular member who was really pleading for the federation to do something about it. And just now some other member has congratulated the FKNK for removing this topic which he refers to as rubbish (imbarazz). Is this how the FKNK want to fight illegal hunting, by continuing to ignore it?
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Sep 20th 2008, 12:24
Birdlife " called on the government to double the fines for repeat offenders and suspend the licences temporarily."
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?
Franco Farrugia
Sep 20th 2008, 12:11
To all hunters: look closely at that photo, of the dead bird, and memorise it. Probably, you are used to such scenes. Shame on each and everyone of you! Is that the extent of your proof of your manhood? The shotgun, an extension of your bodies?????
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!)