Birdlife is appealing for information after a rare short-toed eagle was shot near the clock tower in Mtarfa on Friday.
It makes me weep to think how it died such a pointless and cruel death
The eagle was spotted flying low just before 7 p.m., searching for a place to roost for the night. As it flew over a copse of pine trees a short distance away from buildings two shots rang out and the bird “folded” in the air, falling straight down into the pine copse.
Raptor Camp volunteers in the area witnessed the incident and reported it to the police.
“It was such a magnificent bird; it makes me weep to think how it died such a pointless and cruel death. There was a crack of gunfire and those majestic wings just folded,” Gerry Keysworth told The Sunday Times.
Only moments before the shots the bird had stopped to rest on a box just five metres away from the Birdlife Raptor camp observation post.
Mr Keysworth said as it took off a teenager on a bicycle who had been also been observing the bird immediately took out his mobile phone and called somebody. He suspects the teenager tipped off the hunters who shot the bird.
The police arrived a short while later and searched the area, but neither the shooter nor the dead eagle were found.
Birdlife said the incident breached several laws: shooting a protected bird, shooting outside permitted hours, and shooting within 200 metres of a residential area.
Birdlife Malta conservation and policy officer Nicholas Barbara said eagles were highly prized by illegal hunters and collectors and this one was definitely recovered. Short-toed eagles are rare annual migrants over Malta, making them especially appealing.
“We appeal to anyone with information on the shooter or suspects within the area to pass this information on, helping to bring whoever shot this iconic eagle to justice,” he said.
Information on illegal taxidermists, who might be engaged to stuff and mount the bird, could also be useful in identifying the illegal shooter, he added.
The police can be contacted on 119 or 2122 1111 and Birdlife Malta may be reached on 2134 7644 or office@birdlifemalta.org.