There has been no decline in illegal hunting this year compared with 2008, according to a BirdLife report released yesterday.
This conclusion was based on the number of shot protected birds the conservation group received since the start of the autumn migration and the illegal hunting incidents recorded by BirdLife during the recent three-week Raptor Camp.
The data were compared to the figures for the same period last year and there was no difference, BirdLife said.
Its Raptor Camp between September 12 and October 4 recorded 467 illegal hunting and trapping incidents and since the beginning of the autumn migration the conservation group received 50 confirmed shot protected birds from 34 different locations.
This did not include the remains of over 200 protected birds that were discovered in Miżieb last month.
Last year during the same period the conservation organisation received 56 confirmed shot protected birds from 37 locations.
The total number of confirmed shot protected birds that BirdLife has received since the beginning of the year was slightly higher than last year’s figure – 85 birds were received in 2009, as opposed to 76 birds received throughout 2008.
BirdLife underlined the fact that the protected birds received by the organisation represented only the tip of the iceberg, as birds first had to escape the poacher who shot them, then be found by someone who was willing to handle and collect them, and then be passed on to BirdLife. All birds were examined by an independent vet to verify their injuries and then handed over to the police.
The illegal activities observed during the Raptor Camp this year included 82 incidents of poachers injuring or killing 14 species of protected birds.
The three most commonly targeted species were Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and European Bee-eater. There were also 227 incidents (totalling 404 shots) of “hunting after permitted hours”, 64 incidents of illegal electronic lures, 48 incidents of using modified shotguns and 16 trapping-related offences.
Furthermore, 38 protected species were seen in flight with visible gunshot injuries including Marsh Harriers, Honey Buzzards, Common Kestrels, Lesser Kestrels, Black Kite and Blue Rock Thrush.
“Our volunteers could cover only a small percentage of the Maltese islands at a given time.
“Yet, the high amount of illegal hunting we observe year after year not only shows that Malta continues to be a black spot for bird conservation in Europe, but it also shows that there is almost no improvement.
“This is not surprising at all, because the politicians are more interested in appeasing the hunting lobby than stopping these crimes that damage Malta’s reputation,” Tolga Temuge, BirdLife Malta executive director, said.