Police are investigating two hunters who were seen shooting down a protected bird of prey outside of the hunting season earlier this week.
The hunters, spotted by a jogger, were seen firing approximately 15 shots at a group of three marsh harriers from corn fields near the Ta’ Pinu Church.
The eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told the Times of Malta that the hunters had been determined to down the birds, shooting in quick succession and eventually hitting one which spiralled to the ground.
Anyone with a basic knowledge of ornithology, the witness said, would have instantly recognised that the specimens were birds of prey and not meant to be hunted.
“Anyway, the season isn’t even open yet so there shouldn’t be any hunting going on at all – a rule that seems to be ignored across Gozo,” the witness said, adding he had heard many shots fired in the Gozitan countryside in recent days.
Anyway, theseason isn’t even open yet so there shouldn’t be any hunting going on at all – a rule that seems to be ignored across Gozo
The witness said the police had been called and officers had searched the scene for the bird or the hunters, finding neither.
The questions sent to the po-lice about the incident and the number of reported hunting illegalities outside the season remained unanswered by the time of writing.
This newspaper has received repeated reports of shots being fired outside of the hunting season in recent days, as well as of trapping of song birds – a practice also not meant to be carried out now.
Birdlife Malta meanwhile, yesterday said they were “very concerned” by the incident and the ease with which hunters were breaking the law, in this case “in broad daylight beside a main road, outside of the hunting season and killing a protected bird”.
Moreover, BLM conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said a considerable number of spring birds had already been spotted, with the number and diversity of protected species expected to increase over the coming weeks. “We expect the police to make a stronger presence on both islands and around the clock to effectively ensure that protected birds are allowed safety as they seek refuge on the islands on their way north to breed in Europe,” Mr Barbara said.
In a statement, Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) hunters' association said it unreservedly deplored such despicable acts of vandalism that have no place in civilized society.
"Clearly, whether factual or invented, these cast a bad light on legal hunting. KSU refer to the exemplary behavior of the absolute majority of hunters as a yardstick on which to judge hunting. Any allegations to the contrary are nothing short of damaging propaganda intended to discredit legal hunting," it said.