Rare, protected bird shot
A rare Stone-curlew has been handed to BirdLife Malta with gunshot injuries, bringing the total number of shot protected birds received by the organisation this autumn to 64.
The bird was found by Joseph Farell, the director of the Tarxien Youth Centre, BirdLife said.
It was immediately taken to a veterinarian who confirmed that the bird suffered serious gunshot injuries to its right wing and both legs, and was in a state of starvation indicating that the injury had occurred several days ago.
“This is yet another case of a protected bird that is the focus of large conservation projects in other European countries migrating over Malta and being subsequently shot,” said Birdlife’s conservation manager Andre Raine.
“As a result of the irresponsible and selfish actions of Maltese poachers, Malta has lost many of its important breeding birds such as Peregrine Falcon and Barn Owl a long time ago.
“Now migratory protected birds are being gunned down and every single rare bird like the Stone-curlew that is killed in Malta can have an impact on the population of these species in other European countries,” Dr Raine said.
BirdLife stated that the Stone-curlew is the 64th shot protected bird the organisation received since the beginning of the migration season. This was an increase of 129 percent over the same period last year, when a total of 28 protected birds were received by BirdLife.
The Stone-curlew, a rare protected species, is a rare visitor to the Maltese islands and is given extra protection by the Birds Directive. It is listed as vulnerable by the European Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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Kevin Crisp
Nov 13th 2008, 20:23
This is a rare bird in europe and the u.k.We spend a large amount of money in both the U.K and Europe on protecting birds like these stonecurlews .They have created a large number of jobs through there protection and have provided thousands of people with an income .Should we let the uncivilised Maltese hunter ruin our livelihood especially in this time of redundencies in the recent climate!!!
J Farrugia
Nov 13th 2008, 08:15
No government can ever revoke the hunters' licences, otherwise it would find itself inundated with constitutional cases and the hunters would win hands down. As if to say that the Government would disband Birdlife because of its foreign interference, something which could never happen. So be practical, it was just a bird. Much ado about nothing. This bird should never have flown directly to Malta, It should have first sought permission from the Civil Aviation Department to fly in Malta's territory, and then from the Hunters' Federation and then acquired the licence of Birdlife. How about that.
Alex Ellul
Nov 12th 2008, 22:42
@Andrew Gatt. We also have the noisiest environment on earth. Every morning, from the crack of dawn till dusk, all I hear is bang-bang-bang-bang- and that's the noise pollution part, Then we have the chemical pollution part: 50 tonnes of pure lead spread on our agricultural areas each hunting season. That means that during the last 50 years HUNTERS HAVE ADDED 5000 TONNES OF LEAD TO OUR VEGETABLE GROWING SOIL AND WATER TABLE. HEALTH AUTHORITIES PLEASE NOTE. SERIOUSLY.
We have managed to removed the few milligrams of lead from vehicle fuel but are still pumping tonnes of it into our food chain.
Joseph Aquilina
Nov 12th 2008, 21:12
All I can say is, When are the Maltese hunters going to learn to leave migratory protected birds alone and enjoy their beauty instead of killing them. Oh how I would like to see them entering a den of lions unexpected. LEAVE THE BIRDS ALONE. Joseph Aquilina, CANADA
lgalea
Nov 12th 2008, 19:38
ray Mangion
"Killing someone with a car due to carelessness, inexperience and showing off is a totally different story."
Isn't killing protected birds showing off your contempt for the law and illegal?
And isn't killing someone through carelessness or showing off also a contempt of law which limits your speed etc and likewise illegal?
sammy farrugia
Nov 12th 2008, 18:49
the funny thing is every bird that is found Birdlife always say it is rare, I wonder but Malta is just a small island how come rare birds always come to Malta , and the abundant ones we only see few of them,I think someone is not telling the truth,mind you I don`t like people shooting protected birds.
Andrew Gatt
Nov 12th 2008, 18:32
@ Ray Mangion..........you ask for the revocation of ALL hunters licenses. Are you saying all hunters break the law? You imply that Government is liable to be fined. Can you explain on what grounds, as this is a local enforcement issue? You want all shotguns destroyed and then tell us to shoot clay pigeons....with what?
And in your second comment. You admit that abuses occur in EVERYTHING. You admit that cars/car drivers cause deaths and injuries, but it's OK as long as it's an accident and not deliberate!! 'Scuse me, but the victims are just as dead. Don't you want to ban all cars then? Same logic as your anti-hunting (legal AND illegal) diatribe.
U hallina.
ray Mangion
Nov 12th 2008, 15:53
@ lgalea
Mr Galea, glad you are not a hunter, but your reasoning is beyond anyone`s intellect. I suppose you walk to work; you do the shopping on foot. Abuse is all around us and each and everyone of us is a culprit one way or another, but intentional abuse for personal pleasure is totally unacceptable. Killing someone with a car due to carelessness, inexperience and showing off is a totally different story, but I haven`t heard of anyone driving on the road deciding to run over people as a hobby have you?
Anthony Formosa
Nov 12th 2008, 15:30
I'm against illegal shooting of protected birds, but please read this statement taken from Birdlife International to notice that hunting is not even mentioned. If this is a rare visitor to the Maltese islands, then why is it listed on the Red List.
What are the main threats?
The most important threats to the world’s birds are the spread of agriculture (significantly affecting 73% of Threatened bird species) and human use of biological resources, either through direct exploitation of bird populations or from the indirect impacts on bird populations of forest logging (which combined affect 71% of birds). These threats are the main drivers behind habitat degradation and conversion which are influencing 95% of Globally Threatened Bird populations. Invasive species (especially predators) also threaten nearly a third of Globally Threatened Birds. Increasing problems are being caused by human disturbance, incidental mortality (notably the drowning of seabirds in longline fisheries) and environmental pollution (on land, in wetlands and seas, and in the air), with human-induced climate change having serious longer term consequences for the world’s birds.
How can we protect this bird and others? Let's hit on the polluters and make them pay more.
lgalea
Nov 12th 2008, 15:10
ray mangion
I am no hunter and don't like hunting, but shall the Government collect and destroy all cars because some drivers abuse them and some have even killed other persons?
Ch. Harris
So to kill a bird is obscene but to kill human beings in another country is ok for you. Some reasoning! Shows your colonial mentality and reminds me of the Dumdum bullets where Indian citizens were used and shot as targets to develop the bullets for the British Army.
Aimee Fenech
If the Government starts banning everything that is abused or illegal it will have to start by banning itself.
M. Cardona
Nov 12th 2008, 15:05
All shooting of protected species irrespective of the suitability of the hunting laws is to be unreservedly condemned. So is gaudy exposition of isolated incidents sustained only by thwarted data. So long for the "so called" RARE>>>>>>
"This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km2. It has a large global population estimated to be 140,000-330,000 individuals1. The status of the European population (46,000-78,000 pairs, occupying 25-49% of the global breeding range) was recently reassessed, and following a large decline in Europe during 1970-19902, the species continued to decline during 1990-2000, when up to 20% of birds were lost and several national extinctions occurred. Overall, declines in Europe exceeded 30% over three generations (27 years)3. However, there is no evidence of declines elsewhere in its global range, and incomplete data from Central Asia and southern Russia suggests that there the species is stable or increasing in places4. The species is therefore not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern."
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/144060
M. Tabone
Nov 12th 2008, 15:01
Shame on you poachers!!!
stephen grech
Nov 12th 2008, 14:57
This is what really brought this bird to its actual numbers and this is being said by the IUCN!
"Egg collecting continues to be a localised cause of nest failure. The main recorded causes of death of fully grown birds are collisions with utility lines and fences at the breeding grounds, and shooting in Europe on passage or in the winter range. However, these factors are much less significant than habitat loss and deterioration.". Well, after all it's not the hunters' fault for this decrease in this birds population!!!!!
ray mangion
Nov 12th 2008, 14:41
Like I said many times before, unless the government revokes all hunters` licences and orders all shot guns to be collected and destroyed, the situation will not change. Even if the government imposes jail sentences on these law breakers,why should you and I as taxpayers pay for them while in jail? Furthermore, the government is not adhering to the EU laws and so we will be paying penalties for that too. Unless the government says enough is enough, hunters will keep ignoring the rules and make their own. Please, those who no doubt will write back venomously about my suggestion, you are as bad as the hunters. Like I said before, if you want to be macho and prove your manhood, join a shooting club and go shoot clay pigeons. Hunters have no right to take the pleasure of seeing beautiful birds crossing our path. If we left them alone, some may even start nesting here and I shall look forward to that day.
Andrew Gatt
Nov 12th 2008, 14:25
@ Aimee Fenech.......We have the highest fines in Europe. We have the stiffest jail terms in Europe. We have the smallest open spaces in Europe (where everything is highly visible and reported). We have Birdlife, CABS etc gleefully sensationalising and agitating all over the place. We have a special Police Hunting Unit (the ALE). We live on a tiny rock 17 miles by 9.
Damn right we should be hearing about more arrests and prosecutions for disgusting poaching incidents like this. However, you have no right to call for a collective ban - anymore than I have a right to ban drinking, driving, nightlife and anything else where abuses occur.
Kindly direct your outrage to the authorities who, I am sorry to say, have proved to be ineffective, inefficient and highly biased against hunting in general and not, as should be the case, all out against the illegalities committed by a minority.
Alex Ellul
Nov 12th 2008, 14:23
The 64th bird that arrived dead or injured on Birdlife’s desk. How many more have gone unnoticed? We can only guess. But there is one thing which I am sure about. These criminals must be stopped AT ALL COSTS.
One other comment: Our Minister of Finance, justly or not, has increased taxes on our cars and fuels, partially to offset their negative impact on the environment. Similarly, the M of F should have taxed heavily the lead used by hunters, lead that has been removed from our fuels but is still being spread around in its pure form on our agricultural land, at a rate of 50 tonnes per hunting season, possibly poisoning our local food chain. How about a heavy tax on shotgun cartridges?
mario mifsud
Nov 12th 2008, 14:15
my dear Aimee should we disband the goverment as well? since it cant control its members ?
Aimee Fenech
Nov 12th 2008, 13:51
When are we going to start reading about these hunters and poachers being thrown in jail??!!!
Its outrageous we keep hearing about these happenings and nothing is being done.
No one is above the law! You do something illegal, you get punished. I don't care if its part of the culture and heritage and all that nonsense. Its illegal and thats that.
If fact they should ban hunting all together because they as we have seen and heard they are not cacpable of following any rules. Their so called committee should be disbanded because it cant control its members.