CABS to return to Malta in April

The German-based Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has announced plans to monitor important rest areas for migrating birds and to locate and report illegally operated trapping sites in Malta.

CABS said in a statement that in the last week of April, 10 volunteer bird guards, all experienced ornithologists from Germany, Italy and the UK who have long experience of Malta, would be conducting bird protection operations on the islands.

A number of them w ouldbe equipped with video cameras mounted on high performance German spotting scopes enabling high quality documentary evidence of poaching to be recorded as evidence for later investigation by the police.

CABS president Heinz Schwarze greeted the ban on spring hunting imposed by the Maltese government saying that the decision to once again ban spring hunting was of great benefit to endangered bird species and an important signal to conservationists throughout the European Union.

"It means that Malta has finally begun to treat bird protection seriously and is ready to accept and comply with international standards of conservation.”

He condemned the shooting of roosting birds of prey in the FKNK Mizieb nature reserve as reported by BirdLife Malta over the past few days.

"The criminal energy expended again and again on the killing of birds of raptors on Malta is unprecedented. After Buskett, this plot of woodland is one of the most important roosts for migrant birds on the islands and must be put completely out of bounds for hunters".

CABS reported that numerous daily newspapers and radio programmes in Germany reported positively on the spring hunting ban on Malta. He condemned the shooting of roosting birds of prey in the FKNK Mizieb nature reserve as reported by BirdLife Malta over the past few days.

Last year, a CABS team recorded many cases of illegal hunting and trapping and filmed a black stork being shot down at Dwejra Lines, the trapping of rare ortolan buntings near Zurrieq, as well as the seizure of seven different protected species of waders close to Bahrija.