Over 20 stuffed protected bird specimens as well as carcasses were found dumped in three different locations in the space of two weeks, according to reports filed with the police.
The dead protected birds, some of which were mounted, were found in Birkirkara, Ħal Far and Żabbar, and included prized species such as night heron, marsh harriers, honey buzzards and little egret. They were found by members of the public who informed Birdlife Malta.
The environmental organisation then filed three separate reports with the police, seen by this newspaper. The first report was filed on February 1, after seven mounted birds were discovered abandoned on the side of Triq Il-Kanonku Indri Galea in Birkirkara.
There were two marsh harriers, one night heron, one common kestrel, and one honey buzzard. Two smaller birds were also found but they could not be identified. The mounted protected birds soon disappeared again, leaving only the two unidentified specimens on site.
The common factor was usually the fact that they had been caught illegally
On February 12, at least 12 carcasses could be counted in the find in Żabbar. These were all mounted and in a very poor state after being exposed to rainfall. The species included little egret,little bittern, common cuckoo, woodcock, lapwing, sandpiper, golden plover, and a sparrowhawk. At least another three marsh harriers were found in Ħal Far four days later. The precise number of birds dumped cannot be accurately established because of the deteriorated state of the birds and the fact that some were taken before proper inspections were made.
The police told The Sunday Times of Malta it could not answer questions sent on the finds because a day’s notice was not sufficient time.
A law enforcement official who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity said these were not the first incidents of their kind.
There were various reasons why such birds were discarded, but the common factor was usually the fact that they had been caught illegally and not registered with the authorities.
He said hunters did not necessarily avoid targeting a species already in their collection. honey buzzards, for example, come in eight different types ranging from almost completely white to almost completely black. Getting “the whole set” is a challenge so the species is continually targeted.
When The Sunday Times of Malta attended a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of the Natural History Museum organised by Heritage Malta earlier this month, it found that 7,000 specimens were being stored.
More than 70 per cent of the collection was confiscated material that was mostly acquired over the past eight years. The museum has over 200 honey buzzards alone.