BirdLife Malta said today that photos of two hunters shooting a protected Great Cormorant from a dinghy off Pembroke have been handed to the police. A birdwatcher took the photos of the poachers collecting the bird last Saturday morning.

The law bans hunting at sea within 3 kilometers of the coast.

The Great Cormorant is a migratory species which winters in the Mediterranean, moving from coast to coast in search of feeding grounds singly or in small flocks.

BirdLife said that illegal hunting this autumn was widespread and much worse than last year.

“Many poachers have been recorded shooting at protected birds, even in bird sanctuaries and in front of police. BirdLife alone received 66 shot protected birds since the beginning of migration this autumn,” the NGO said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.