Trappers ‘caught in the act’
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter said it had caught four trappers in the illegal act in the space of a week as part of its Operation Safe Passage.
The trappers were filmed in separate incidents and subsequent police controls saw several large trap nets as well as nine live and two artificial bird decoys being seized as evidence.
The open season for hunting and trapping of quail and turtle dove started on September 1. Hunting is banned in the afternoons.
The first trapper was caught in St Thomas’ Bay attempting to attract waders using an illegal bird caller, CABS said. The police were informed and when they went on site they found a 40-metre trapping net. Legal proceedings against the trapper have now begun, the organisation said.
CABS conservationists also found a trapping site near Baħrija in which a trapper was attempting to catch protected dotterel using plastic decoys as well as an electronic device playing the bird’s calls. Footage of the man was passed on to the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, which searched the site and seized numerous items as evidence.
In another incident, the police ended up in a chase after a man who had been filmed for hours by CABS took off as they approached him at a site near Żurrieq. Five short-toed larks and a red-throated pipit were found, all of which were seized and later released into the wild.
Gozo was the site of another incident, in which a trapper was filmed catching waders over a number of hours. Police officers caught him still in his hut and seized his nets as well as three live dotterel, CABS said.
It added that it had found several shot birds, including a kestrel and a nightjar. Its volunteers also witnessed two honey buzzards and a wader being shot dead south of Girgenti valley.
BirdLife Malta said it witnessed a honey buzzard being shot in Buskett bird sanctuary – one of Malta’s biggest — on Thursday evening after the 3 p.m. hunting ban had passed.
The incident was reported to the police who arrived shortly afterwards and searched the area but they could not find the hunter.
BirdLife added that many raptors were seen coming in to Malta on Thursday evening, some of which were met with gunfire. Widespread illegal shooting in Miżieb, Dingli, Ġebel Ciantar, Qawra, Nadur and Delimara was recorded by the conservation organisation the following morning.
Volunteers from 10 countries have joined BirdLife and CABS conservation camps and will be here until next Sunday seeking to curb illegal bird shooting and trapping. CABS is an international charitable organisation based in Germany.
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Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Sep 21st 2010, 14:05
Edward Camilleri, I have just given you a case where CABS/BLM have trespassed onto private property. Actually, they also acted illegally by stepping onto saghtar (thyme) a protected plant under the Maltese Law! Have you read my comment or have you just replied without reading it?!
If you truly believe that by exposing a CABS' illegality I am siding with poacher, I must say you have a problem with your reasoning! I condemn all illegalities, be they coming from poachers or from antis - quite different to what you and the many antis do! While you point fingers at poachers, you are here trying to cover up an illegality coming from the antis' side! I expect that action be taken against these individuals!
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Sep 20th 2010, 19:27
Edward Camilleri, "The" antis tell "us that" illegal activity "is non existent". "But then a few persons, who obviously can only cover a very small area, find several persons doing illegalities in a space of a few" hours! "There is so much disregard to the law by" CABS/BLM, "that even a single case is too much. Imagine a single person breaking the law" twice "in a single incident!" Trespassing onto private property - stepping onto a protected plant under the Maltese Law (i.e. Thyme). "Extrapolate these cases over a larger area, and then don't tell me that" illegalities by CABS and Co "is not rampant on these islands!"
Edward Camilleri
Sep 20th 2010, 21:36
Give me a case where CABS/BLM have trespassed on private land. I can give you several, where I was threatened by hunters on a) public land, and b) private land owned by our family. Without listing the countless public footpaths which were painted with RTO signs.
By attacking CABS/BLM in this article you are siding with the poachers!
Edward Camilleri
Sep 20th 2010, 13:49
The hunting fraternity tells us that illegal hunting is non existent or negligible. But then a few persons, who obviously can only cover a very small area, find several persons doing illegalities in a space of a few days!
There is so much disregard to the law by hunters/trappers, that even a single case is too much. Imagine a single person breaking the law 3 times in a single incident! Shooting a protected bird - a honey buzzard - in a protected area -Buskett bird sanctuary – and when a hunting ban is in place - after 3 p.m.
Extrapolate these cases over a larger area, and then don't tell me that poaching is not rampant on these islands!
Johnny Xerri
Sep 20th 2010, 21:19
well using your yard stick.....survey an area in which 3 hunters do not break the law and extrapolate this to other areas.
as you say an incident took place in a bird sanctuary after the 3pm ban. Just goes to show that bans do not work against poachers but only against hunters....
What will be your next suggestion to stop poaching....jail all hunters irrespective of their clean police record...confiscate (steal) their shotguns....jail all clay pigeon shooters just in case they poach....dream on, poaching will one day stop but lucky for us hunting can never be ban.
Mike Fitzgibbons
Sep 20th 2010, 13:39
Once more - Illegal hunting of birds takes place in Malta. I expect the usual plethora of letters in support will arrive from all the " Legal Only Hunters" talking a load of rubbish about ancient rights and ancient customs.
Well done Birdlife Malta and CABS - Keep up the good work. Please continue to highlight these individuals for what they are. Criminals!
Mike
Joseph Camilleri
Sep 20th 2010, 22:54
Mike Fitzgibbons why don't you go and see what happens in your own country and stop interfering with us?
S Vella
Sep 20th 2010, 12:13
I do not justify any type of illegallities, but one must bear in mind that hunting and trapping is one of our traditionalhobby practised all around the world......
Hunting finches has became completely illegal all year round......For people who it is their passion is not as simple as that.
I think CABS who is a charitable organisation based in Germany should take note of this since they are based in Germany.....This concerns human beings!!
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-frgermany.html
g. scerri
Sep 20th 2010, 12:09
Without going into the hunting controversy, isn't it a national shame that law enforcement should have to depend on foreign volunteers? What image of Malta will these people be taking back with them?
David Camilleri
Sep 20th 2010, 11:57
Good work. Keep it up. May I ask though, why is it that when something happens in Gozo, the place is seldom specified? The report itself did specify the locations in Malta, so for the sake of consistency and clarity, why not do the same for Gozo? We may be a speck in the Med but we're not just one block. This kind of attitude insults.
R Muscat
Sep 20th 2010, 10:54
Thank you CABS for showing the general public this blatant disregard to the laws of our country and the EU.
For too long have these bunch of macho hamalli roamed our contryside breaking the law , intimidating locals and tourists alike and very often squatting on public land. To the detriment of all law abiding Maltese.
The authorities should realise that by ignoring this issue and letting off these criminals with a slap on the hand, they are creating a dangerous precedent, whereby the rest of the population thinks that the law is there to be broken, hence the anarchy on our roads, building sites and the illegal boat houses in Armier, Qawra, Bahar ic Caghaq, St Thomas Bay, Gnejna etc etc