CABS international bird guards said today that they had recorded 486 hunting offences during an autumn camp which has now ended.
"Although the activists were able only to simultaneously cover a maximum of 5 % of the area available for hunting on Malta, a total of 486 offences against bird protection and hunting regulations were recorded over the past 22 days. This total includes 23 directly observed and in some cases filmed incidents of birds of prey being shot (2 Ospreys 7 Marsh Harriers, 7 Honey Buzzards, 1 Hobby, 2 Kestrels, 2 unidentified falcons and 3 herons), as well as 31 cases of protected species being shot at but either not being injured, or at least not mortally," CABS said.
In addition there were 24 observations of Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harriers, Hobbys, Kestrels and a Peregrine Falcon with probable gunshot injuries, evident by missing or damaged plumage or broken and dangling legs.
Four cases of illegal trapping of protected wader species were also recorded, as well as the find of an illegal cage trap containing a dozen freshly caught Turtle Doves.
A total of 119 illegal electronic ‘bird callers’ were located and recorded during night patrols. These are used by poachers to lure migrating birds to trapping sites or shooting posts.
Between 15 and 30 September CABS observers registered a total of 278 shots after the start of the afternoon curfew on hunting imposed by the government. In autumn 2008, during approximately the same period, only 83 shots were recorded.
“These figures are, as always, only the tip of the iceberg. In summary it can be said that there has been no improvement in respect of illegal killing of birds on Malta. As soon as migration begins or resumes, protected species are shot at all over the island, and the government looks the other way”, CABS president Heinz Schwarze claimed.
“The introduction of the limited hunting curfew after 3.00 pm has indeed led to a decrease of illegal killing in the afternoon. For many birds of prey this is however only a stay of execution for a night, as they come under fire at the latest when taking to the air the next morning” he added.
He said this applied especially to rare birds such as Eagles and Black Storks, whose chances of leaving Malta alive were “extremely slim”.
He said more policemen needed to be deployed to enforce the law as well as the declaration of wide ranging hunting free zones that include important night roost areas and safe flight corridors to the coast.
CABS also called for Mizieb hunting reserve to be declared a bird protection reserve.
“Mizieb is one of the most important bird of prey roosts on the Maltese islands and should have been designated a Special Protected Area (SPA) in accordance with the European Union Bird Protection Guidelines a long time ago. Instead, this woodland has become a black hole for protected species”, said Mr Schwarze.
He said that together with BirdLife Malta, CABS is currently putting together a comprehensive dossier on the so-called ‘bird cemetery’ at Mizieb. The report will be sent to the European Commission and the Environmental Committee of the European parliament in the course of the next few weeks.