There has been a total of 32 shootings and 120 illegalities registered by Birdlife Malta since the start of the autumn hunting season a month and a half ago, the organization said today at a press conference in Valletta.
The latest of the shootings happened two days ago when a Peregrine Falcon was gunned down in Mqabba.
The organisation also claimed to have evidence of more than 70 of those incidents thanks to the annual Raptor Camp it set up to document illegalities through footage and photo evidence.
It also hinted that the government is not taking the required action to curb illegalities because an election is looming.
The ‘massacre’, according to BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana, is a direct result of the lack of enforcement when it comes to hunting. He called for the introduction of a specialised Wildlife Crime Unit to strengthen enforcement
Mr Sultana criticized the government’s ‘inertia’ in tackling the issue, claiming that the government was simply interested in ‘passing the buck to the Ornis Committee’, when the Prime Minister had suspended the hunting season twice before with far less incidents (in 2015 he suspended the season after two shootings).
However, Ornis Committee Chairman Prof. Mark Anthony Falzon refuses to comment on the situation, as was reported by The Malta Independent.
Mr Sultana questioned whether or not the upcoming elections have had an effect on the government’s indecision, claiming that every time a general election nears ‘enforcement becomes ineffective’. He also expressed fears that he closer the country gets to the date of the election the situation will only worsen.
The Birdlife CEO also criticized the government’s decision to open the bird trapping season on 20th October in spite of the legal action Malta is facing from the European Commission over the allowance of the trapping of seven species of finch.
When talking about the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit’s ineffectiveness this year, he criticized their decision to increase enforcement late on in the season since migration peaked much earlier than usual.
It was a pity, claimed Sultana, that this period of ramped illegal hunting has also seen a considerable number of rarities over the Maltese islands, which proves that Malta is an important flyway for such birds which migrate.
He then thanked the 100 hunters who help the organization by photographing any illegalities which take place in the countryside, whilst also stressing that the other 10,000 ‘do not think twice about breaking the law if and when they are aware that enforcement is lacking’
He also thanked the public and called on them to continue ‘reporting to us and the police also to support us in the work we do by becoming members’, whilst also announcing the ‘Help us fly’ initiative, a membership drive to encourage more people to join.
In a statement this afternoon Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) strongly condemned the shooting of protected bird species. “Regarding the shot Peregrine Falcon KSU would like to point out that a one of its members reported shots on this bird in the limits of Rabat last Tuesday. The bird was also subsequently seen falling in Mqabba centre due to its injuries and no gun shots were heard. The incident is being investigated by the police.”
“KSU notes the prominence given to the Birdlife Malta on illegalities contrasts sharply with a KSU press release condemning the shooting of this falcon and illegalities that was omitted by all the media. Contrary to Birdlife Malta allegations KSU attest that, given the current resources, enforcement was never better than at present and commend the police and all involved for their excellent work. KSU proposed the setting up of a warden unit to Government. This unit would tackle all environmental crime and supplement existing resources. A reply from Government on this proposal is solicited.
KSU notes the use of the customary Birdlife Malta phrase “the tip of the iceberg” that infallibly shows their speculation of a problem well under control. Birdlife’s referring to illegal incidents as “poaching” and not hunting seems to be step in the right direction. KSU emphatically states that the law abiding majority of hunters consider illegalities as being detrimental to their legal practice and urge all hunters and members of the public to report any illegal incidents to the police on 119.”