'Protected birds are being shot'
This night heron was wounded in the wing when it was shot illegally, according to BirdLife. Photo: BirdLife Malta
Illegal hunting has been on the rise in recent weeks as the spring migration takes off, with eight protected birds shot in the last two weeks, BirdLife Malta claimed.
BirdLife executive director Tolga Temuge said the organisation received daily reports of illegal hunting incidents. A purple heron, a protected bird of prey, had to have a wing amputated after it was shot down, he said.
The maimed bird, now confined to the Simar nature reserve in Xemxija, was one of the eight shot protected birds that BirdLife said it received over the past few weeks. The birds also include a Cory's shearwater, a grey heron, a night heron, a hoopoe and three marsh harriers.
Five of them died due to injuries or had to be put down and two, a marsh harrier and the night heron, were being rehabilitated, BirdLife Malta said. Over the same period last year, it had received two shot protected birds.
"We call on the government to stop seeing the hunting issue as a dispute between two sides and start dealing with it as a serious contravention issue on both a national and international level. All we ask from the government is to implement the law and that no one, including the FKNK administration, can be above the law," Mr Temuge said.
When contacted, hunting federation (FKNK) secretary Lino Farrugia said the law was there for everybody and the federation was against illegal practices: "We will not defend them."
BirdLife also highlighted entries on the FKNK's website where one post agreed with illegal hunting as a form of protest to show government hunters were not afraid of anyone, in the light on the ban on spring hunting.
Among the comments, seen by The Times, was one saying hunters did well to burn every bird they saw as a form of revenge since everything had been lost. A third comment said: "If only those who were against hunting grew a pair of wings..."
Mr Farrugia said he had not seen the comments, and although the forum was monitored, there were no filters and everybody could post a comment. He said if strict filters were introduced the forum would lose its authenticity.
"If anyone thinks the posts are against the law, they can investigate," he said, adding that comments represented personal opinions.
BirdLife said the comments clearly showed that certain federation members continued to post messages that encouraged illegal hunting, despite the ban.
It added that last year it had given evidence to the police about messages posted on the website calling for hunters to break the law as well as inciting violence.
"These recent postings show the federation is continuing to allow these kinds of messages to be posted on its website," it said.
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G.Grech
Apr 2nd 2009, 19:52
@ Jeremy J. Camilleri I do enjoy hiking and during these last 4 weekends + plus a couple of public holidays, I have covered an area the size of Malta. I have been to Qrendi, Siggiewi, Faqqanija, Mtahleb, Dingli Cliffs, Buskett, Hal-Farrug, Handaq, Fawwara, Girgenti, Wied iz- Zurrieq, Lapsi, Anchor Bay, Manikata, Gnejna Bay, Fomm ir-Rih etc etc. I have not heard 1 SINGLE gunshot. There were days where the conditions were perfect for bird migration especially Sunday 22nd...Again not a SINGLE gunshot. So rest assured that I know perfectly who is saying the truth!
Simon Vella
Apr 2nd 2009, 12:13
@Mario Nicholas Pace
Since you are aware of these illegalities and know of places and people who are practicing these illegalities, DID YOU REPORT THE PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE AWARE OF BREAKING THE LAW? if not you are just as guilty, and have a finger in the pie. I challenge you to report the culprits so that the irresponsible law breakers get what they deserve and not put all hunters and trappers in the same sack.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Apr 2nd 2009, 09:23
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin, I trust that anyone who enjoys hiking will know which of us is telling the truth.
I occasionally GO to shooting clubs actually....and have no knowledge of any such clubs in the ST Thomas Bay Delimara area.
You'll be saying the gunshots are alien in origin next.
Andrew Gatt
Apr 1st 2009, 21:23
"Edward Camilleri (29 minutes ago)
@chris finch
report illegal hunting to the ALE on 22945161 or Police HQ 21224001"
Chris, please give the ALE this address....it's where the shots you heard were coming from:
BIDNIJA SHOOTING CLUB, BIDNIJA, L/O MOSTA. Just past the church, follow the signs on the right.
alex casha
Apr 1st 2009, 21:01
i dont blame hunters and trappers,the present goverment did gave them guarantees and promises,so i dont blame them at all,why dont Gonzi try to be a real PAR IDEJN SODI and find a way to make both parties happy,and may be solve the problem once for all.its like hunting and trpping is the only issue in MALTA,yesterday the price of the fuel and the gas was increased.anyone interested pls
Edward Camilleri
Apr 1st 2009, 20:47
@chris finch
report illegal hunting to the ALE on 22945161 or Police HQ 21224001
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Apr 1st 2009, 19:53
Mr. Jeremy J Camilleri, people like you hear what they want to hear! I stand by what I have written and state, with full responsibility and honestly that I DID NOT HEAR A SINGLE SHOT during the past 5 days which I spent in the countryside! Using your line or reasoning, people believe what they want to believe. You prefer believing BirdLife and their sensational fairytales. Sorry, Sir, I am not that gullible!
I ask certain individuals who have commented below whether they are aware of the various Shooting Clubs on the Island and their whereabouts. Certain comments make me laugh. Places indicated are mostly near to such Shooting Ranges! Sometimes obsession overcomes reasoning!
I would like to enquire with The Times whether the photo being published today is the same one as that used last Autumn. I feel that we, readers, are entitled to such clarification.
John Matthews
Apr 1st 2009, 17:55
Why does Birdlife use the term "ILLEGAL HUNTING" This portrays hunters as irresponsible people.
Perhaps better teminology should be "ILLEGAL SHOOTING"
As Mark Mifsud Bonnici quite rightly states this is not the work of true hunters.
Once again "sensationalism" on behalf of Birdlife possibly to obtain votes to ban hunting.
censu attard
Apr 1st 2009, 16:34
To-day is first of April,April fools day remember, maybe this is a joke from Birdlife,because that`s the same bird,same hands with same rings and the same black tee-shirt,and the same white tiled wall room that was shown last Autumn .
mario nicholas pace
Apr 1st 2009, 16:24
Apart from illegal hunting , there is continuos illegal trappings of songbirds amongst others. You only have to enter in several political parties clubs to know how big is this problem, trappers discussing that he caught chaffinces ,the other stating that he caught several greenfinches and so on and on. What are the authorites waiting for to take action against these illegalities ?
Joe Camilleri
Apr 1st 2009, 15:25
With all their millions of euros, did birdlife run out of red poster colour as there is none splahed over the bird's body, as usual.
Even the title of the photo "....... according to birdlifemalta", the only true statment in this article.
As Stephen Grech rightly said, NIGHT Herons migrate during the night, that is why NIGHT HERON, and they could have easily hit a pole.
Let us wait till we have the wind farms. We will be seeing more photos of this sort and as usual BLAMING THE HUNTERS.
SIMON VELLA
Apr 1st 2009, 14:33
When people are hurt and angry because they have been betrayed by the highest politicians, they may say words which they do not mean and they say it in anger. It would be fair if "The Times" publishes a copy of the letter sent to us before the referendum by Dr Eddie Fenech Adami at that time Prime Minister and today President of Malta WHO GAVE US IN WRITNG A GURANTEE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE OUR TRADITIONAL PRACTISE OF HUNTING AND TRAPPING EVEN AFTER WE BECOME FULL MEMBERS IN THE EU, EVEN IN SPRING WERE WE WILL CONTINUE HUNTING THE TURTLE DOVE AND QUAIL. From what we are told now it is from the Maltese Government that the hunting season did not open again this year in Spring, not from the EU.We are being punished before proven guilty besides that the government negotiated a derogation. What democracy is this???
C.Formosa
Apr 1st 2009, 14:27
@C.Finch;
"Intermittent shooting behind Scotts supermarket"
Bidnija shooting range! Duhhh!
stephen grech
Apr 1st 2009, 14:19
@ cbugeja I'm sorry to contradict you but where exactly are you seeing the hole?! All I can see from the photo is a small wound and I presume that if it was wounded from gun shot - like previous photos shown with particular eagerness from Bird Life who it seems are better than hunters' dogs to retrieve wounded or dead birds - there would be blood spattered on its wings and around the wound. And I'm not seeing any blood here and don't tell me that they cleaned it's wound before taking the photo!
Fabian Borg
Apr 1st 2009, 14:05
Too bad that my sacrifice after having my passionate hobby outlawed has not left the desired fruits for the birds.
Birdlife are having what they wanted though, more stories and more pictures of injured birds.
This will help them get more promotion and eventually more funds. I wonder how they keep obtaining these scoops them with a handful of poachers around who presumably would not risk leaving evidence around.
Anthony Formosa
Apr 1st 2009, 13:55
First of all congratulations to the Times for the right timing of publishing such unbiased article to diminish another report concerning Dr John Attard Montalto. Certainly such pictures can only misguide the public, there is no evidence that this bird was shot recently, this photo could be the same photo of the bird same bird shot/found in San Anton Gardens a year ago. I'm sure that BLM with their sophisticated cameras knows that the date and time can be shown on the picture, but to my amazement they never did.
BLM should first look at their comments made against hunters in general, BLM even invited foreigners to provoke hunters and trappers on their own land, Tolga Temuge even mentioned that the countryside is his, he even called the public to reclaim his countryside - we are being called barbaric, savages, you name it, and nothing is condemned.
The only illegality I can see is that I'm deprived from something that I was promised and guaranteed by the highest authorities.
@J.Borg You've always supported BLM to reclaim your countryside, buy a pair of good binoculars go on public land, and report any illegalities, I'm sure you'll see MILLIONS!!!
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Apr 1st 2009, 13:34
Mr / Ms C Bugeja, I assure you that I am very sharp on hearing!! It seems the truth is not to your liking though. Well, Sir / Madam, you may confirm what I am saying with the many ALE personnel which I witnessed patrolling the area at different times of the day!! As the Maltese saying goes: "l-ispizjar milli jkollu jaghtik"!! It would be more appropriate were we to shed doubts on what BirdLife and the anti-hunting lobby try to make readers believe!!
george gauchi
Apr 1st 2009, 13:31
@ J. BORG
We are living in Malta and not East Germany in the 50`s or 60`s that`s where they used to report thier fellow men.
One have to keep in mind that not all hunters had or have computers to know what was going on between the EU and those who went to derogate on Malta`s side,so yes most of the hunters and trappers trusted the party propoganda,so that`s why the Maltese Hunters and Trappers are angry because they were decieved and cheated .
S Mizzi
Apr 1st 2009, 13:29
I too can confirm what Sylvana Zarb Darmanin and H Daymond are saying. I live in the countryside in a prime hunting area which at this time of the year would normally be rife with hunting activity. Yesterday being a public holiday I spent my day at home in our garden, open fields not the walled type. Normally shots can be heard as far off as Mtahleb, Sta. Katerina and Dingli Cliffs. I am ready to take an oath that all day yesterday, and indeed since the season closed last January, I haven't heard a single gunshot. Am I a liar too C Bugeja or perhaps i'm deaf? Yes illegal hunting is happening but on a very very minimal scale and nowhere near the tragic and out of control proportions that BLM try to portray. In fact it is this tactic, Mr Bugeja, being employed by BLM that is making it more unpopular by the minute.
Also, that is definitely not a fresh gunshot wound.
Andrew Gatt
Apr 1st 2009, 13:14
@ J Borg.........my comment was, yet again, completely AGAINST illegal shooting of protected birds and with some sarcasm thrown in. It certainly was not encouraging violence and certainly was not enouraging poaching. It's called freedom of speech. Or would Birdlife like to ban that too, in the same way it's Guestbook only allows carefully-selected comments to be uploaded (all 107 of them!!)?
This weekend I did spend some time on my land. I saw no poaching and I heard no gunshots, incidentally. In any case, I am banned from hunting this Spring, (so I will be saving my time off for Autumn) and am spending very few mornings there. So will thousands of my fellow hunters. Bad for us, good for the poachers.
And, using your own argument, why don't you hunt down pimps, thieves, drug dealers, addicts, thieves, anti-social louts etc? Probably for the same reasons - foremost amongst which is the fact that it is the responsibility of the forces of law and order to do so - paid for by our taxes.
M.said
Apr 1st 2009, 13:03
@ALL
for me this photo is a deja vu. Its exactly the same picture shown in spring last year. Even the rings are exactly the same.
Anf first of all who can really say that that black spot is blood or if it is blood from a lead shot??????????
Well the same old tactics by birdlife.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Apr 1st 2009, 12:59
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin..People hear what they want to hear...
Have you ever heard the three monkeys story?
Ps...Perhaps a walk in Delimara for all you folks claiming that illegal hunting is not in practise should prove to be an eye opener.
cbugeja
Apr 1st 2009, 12:52
@ stephen grech that bird has a hole in its wing and it could only be done by a fast moving object taht passed trough, now dont tell me it hit a ufo or a meteorite!
@ sylvana zarb: you seem hard on ears if you spent 5 days in the countryside and havent heard a shot as no one seems to contradict the fact that illegal shooting is taking place neither FKNK.
For all hunters just keep hiding the truth and keep saying that the rest of the population is a liar, after all that you've been saying in the past years. This tactic doesnt seem to be taking the hunting lobby anywhere except that it is becoming more unpopular by the minute.
salvu abela
Apr 1st 2009, 12:40
Always remember poachers hunt all year round ,open or closed season,that`s everywhere in the world,it`s like the drug dealers,the rapists,the thieves and so on and one has to admit that a criminal is always a criminal,but the legal hunter should never be blamed for the acts done by illegal hunters. And please don`t try or ever try to put everyone in the same sack.
J. Borg
Apr 1st 2009, 12:37
@ Andrew Gatt
The fact is that STOP BEFORE would have been much better than STOP THERE
The comment was (albeit I trust not intended so) in bad taste - especially considering some thugs who were likely to read it - & the arson attacks suffered by Ray Vella (Mellieha) last year (to mention that only).
The problem is that hunters like you are being too passive - i.e. you are not going to the countryside (which allegedly is all owned by hunters), with your dogs (but no shotguns) and identify (or assist) the ALE to apprehend these criminals.
You can still enjoy the countryside whilst protecting the chances to retain hunting on the two birds that are edible.
Personally if I feel that something is so important for me I'll show initiative to safeguard it. However yet again, hunters have allegedly relied on party propoganda rather than reading thoroughly what was articulated between malta & the eu - and thus the initiatives that had to be implemented and verified during the derogation period were not taken up.
Now who is really dooming hunting?
H.Daymond
Apr 1st 2009, 12:11
i don't want to be the one to contradict the story, i live in Gozo, and i swear during the last few months if i heared just one shot,then its too many, people here are abiding by the regulations and i have even seen a nice buzzer i think it looked like a buzzer and it was just flying freely as if there were no one to shoot it, so where are these birds being shot down certainly from my point of view not on the island of Gozo, unless i'm deaf and blind....(ofcourse shooters might be useing a silencer who knows)LOL.LOL>
Andrew Gatt
Apr 1st 2009, 11:24
The FKNK Forum currently hosts in excess of 49,000 posts covering 4,200 topics. This forum is open to all and topics include birds sighted, gundogs, bird breeding, discussions, ongoing initiatives etc. It is free to all. Tolga Temuge must indeed have a lot of time on his hands to uncover the impressive total of 3 posts "encouraging illegal hunting and violence".
Well now. One of the posts mentioned is MINE. My FULL post stated that " protected birds are PROTECTED and have nothing to do with the situation we hunters are in. Let's leave them alone for all to enjoy." Tongue very firmly in cheek I also said "if only those who fooled us all grew a pair of wings.......hmmm.....better stop here!!!"
Since it is very unlikely that these people will sprout wings in the forseeable future, this can hardly be called an incitement to violence, now can it? As usual, Birdlife only cut and paste what suits them.
How insulting, especially when I am on record innumerable times (both on The Times Online as well as the Forum) as being categoricaly AGAINST illegal hunting, let alone violence! Tolga Temuge, stop wasting the Police Commissioner's time.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Apr 1st 2009, 11:21
You can rest assured that this is not the work of hunters. Since hunters do not hunt protected species and all hunters are presently suspended from practicing their hunt in spring.
Considering the number of hunters is just over 16.000 people, these isolated cases give a clear indication that the few that flout the law are are not hunters but the sort that should have never been given a hunting license in the first place. .
Shooting protected species is illegal and as in any other country, the Law will take care of that.
Tolga Temuge is calling on the government to "stop seeing the hunting issue as a dispute between two sides". If he really wants such thing to happen he might want to publicly confirm Birdlife's acceptance of legal hunting.
Birdlife's participating in the PROACT petition to ban hunting from the Maltese Islands is definitely not a step in this direction. Neither is the labeling of all hunters as criminals.
It is Birdlfie that stirs this animosity against hunters using the few instances of illegal activity to its own advantage. This article is a perfect case in point.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Apr 1st 2009, 11:08
The usual BirdLife Malta tactics! I have spent the past 5 days in the countryside and I DID NOT HEAR ONE SINGLE SHOT! Who are you trying to kid?! Grow up!
Philip Grech
Apr 1st 2009, 10:53
Mr. Finch. As I told you earlier this week you still havn't done anything concrete yet. However although I am pro hunting but no longer practice the sport of hunting, I will give you the number I have kept since then;21224001
steohen grech
Apr 1st 2009, 10:38
Well this article is baffling me a lot. Bird Life Malta said that it has already recieved 8 birds this year whilst last year it recieved only 2 in the same period. Well I still remember last year's articles about illegal hunting being rampant and mayhem in our countryside; so were all those articles just written to put hunters in bad light?! By the way that picture doesn't prove anything, the heron could easily have bumped it's wings against a cable or electricity poles especially when this type of heron migrates during the night.
@ Chris Finch; By any chance the intermittently shots you heard were not coming from a shooting range?
steve busuttil
Apr 1st 2009, 10:34
As a pro-hunter i condemn all forms of illegal hunting and will be the first one to admit that this is wrong.
The only thing i would like to say is that the ban on spring hunting has pushed responsible hunters out of their fields while those who indiscriminately shoot at anything that flies will carry on doing this no matter what ban is put in place.
It is unfortunate that the Gov has not got the will to tackle illegal hunting, but only got down to ban hunting in spring outright. The only way forward for these protected birds to be truly protected is to have game wardens placed in several spots to monitor what is happening. Just claiming (probably rightly so too) that birds are being shot is not going to solve the problem, and once persons are spotted and identified they should be prosecuted.
Crying about it is not going to solve anything, screaming that hunters are blood thirsty barbarians is useless and as can be clearly seen by what is happening the ban is deffinitely not working.
carmelo aquilina
Apr 1st 2009, 10:33
So the FKNK doesnto think that comments urging illegal hunting or violence on its web-site are worth intervening ? No suprises here, this organisation that does prefers to institute libel actions against other people but yet does not seem to have any interest in making sure its members repsect the law of the land.
Joe Camilleri
Apr 1st 2009, 10:33
"including the FKNK administration, can be above the law," Mr Temuge said. How dare Tolga Temuge say that.
As for the posts on the forum, I am one who regularly visit the forum and I have not seen any posts which encouraged illegal hunting. Maybe Tolga Temuge would give us the link to those posts. It is better if he sees Birdlife Malta's guest book which is full of hatred for the maltese hunter.
Also what we ask the government is to implement what he promised us
H Dempster
Apr 1st 2009, 10:23
Pop shots could be heard from Sliema from the direction of Kappara, san gwann area saturday and sunday.
Chris Finch
Apr 1st 2009, 09:53
Does anyone have the correct numbers to report illegal hunting? On Saturday at about 5.30 shots could be clearly heard intermittently from the valley behind Scotts Supermarket in Burmarrad.
Anthony Mercieca
Apr 1st 2009, 09:50
I can confirm the fact of shooting. Yesterday fireshoots were heard at Salina round about 5:00am. At sun rise I could see nice large birds about 3 flying and walking in the saltpans among the grown weeds. Again sometime after 10:30 am there further shoots which made me make a report to the police over the phoner calling 112.