Vandals targeted the Ghadira nature reserve in Mellieha on Tuesday night, emptying bottles full of used engine oil over the fence into the reserve, BirdLife Malta said yesterday.

BirdLife, which manages the reserve, said it suspected that at least 10 gallons of used car oil were thrown into the reserve, resulting in the pollution of the soil, ditches and ponds. “The immediate effects have been obvious, with a moorhen found by reserve staff completely covered with oil,” it added.

Nature reserve wardens found more than 15 bottles (some of them five-litre containers) at the northwest side of the nature reserve early in the morning. The oil was thrown into the ditches, reservoir and main pools of the reserve and has poured into the ditches, creating a toxic pollution problem for the small and fragile ecosystem.

BirdLife said it contacted police and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority asking them to asses the situation and help with the clean-up.

With the migration season now under way, a few days ago Ghadira nature reserve was host to 25 herons including two purple herons that are listed as declining and as species of conservation concern in Europe. If birds such as these had been at the reserve, the effects could have been very serious, it said.

“We suspect that this act of vandalism is related to BirdLife’s efforts to stop the destruction of wildlife in Malta. BirdLife is trying to preserve and protect the natural heritage of Malta and we will continue to do so in spite of any obstacle that is laid before us,” said Tolga Temuge, executive director of BirdLife Malta.

The Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry yesterday condemned the attacks.

Alternattiva Demokratika – the Green Party also condemned the acts saying they are proof of how low some people are willing to go either to demonstrate their machoism, or else to achieve their aims by such threats.