BirdLife Malta yesterday described the prevailing state of affairs in the countryside as one of “mayhem and anarchy” with hunters illegally taking to the fields to hunt migrating birds. The organisation has counted no fewer than 1,050 gunshots between Monday morning and yesterday afternoon.

Given the situation, compounded by threatening behaviour being demonstrated by hunters, BirdLife Malta yesterday appealed to the government “to put words into action and immediately take all the necessary actions to bring back law and order in the countryside.”

A police source yesterday confirmed that a number of illegal activities have been taking place. Moreover, separate actions carried out by both the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, tasked with clamping down on illegal hunting, as well as the District Police have led to the seizure of shotguns and the arraignment of a number of people in court in the near future.

BirdLife Malta also reported that participants in its Spring Watch Camp have been threatened and insulted as they attempted to carry out their spring migration observations.

With this spring being the first in memory in which Malta’s hunters have not been able to take to the fields during the peak bird migration season, tensions are running high in the countryside, with illegal shooting taking place alongside bird watching and migration surveillance activities.

Given the fact that the spring season has not been opened this year, the shooting of any bird, even the usually allowable species of turtledove and quail, is illegal.

With the bird migration season currently at its peak, BirdLife’s Spring Watch Camp, which began on Sunday, has seen its volunteers “targeted by individuals with threats and insults”.

One of the teams in Delimara on Monday afternoon, the organisation reported, was surrounded by aggressive individuals and ordered to leave the area, although the team was on public land.

Commenting on the state of affairs yesterday, BirdLife Malta president Joseph Mangion remarked, “What we have been witnessing over the last one-and-a-half days is not surprising when one recalls the xenophobic and aggressive statements of the FKNK (Federation of Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists) administration that targeted the Spring Watch attendees even before they arrived in Malta.

“Why is the FKNK administration so scared of peaceful, non-violent birdwatchers here to witness bird migration and report illegal activity? One would expect them to sit with us and report illegal activities too if they genuinely are against illegal hunting. It is about time that this government acknowledges this fact.”

BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager and Spring Watch Camp Coordinator André Raine explained Delimara has been a particular hotspot for illegal shooting, with 486 shots having been counted by BirdLife volunteers over a four-hour period on Monday morning alone.

Dr Raine added, “Our observation teams have shown this is not simply a handful of poachers breaking the law, but rather numerous individuals actively shooting in the countryside as if this is simply another open season.”

The organisation yesterday questioned how the government believes it can control spring hunting when it has “absolutely no control over illegal hunting”.

Illegal shooting yesterday, meanwhile, had subsided from Monday’s levels due, according to BirdLife Malta, to changing weather conditions.

BirdLife teams have also spotted birds such as turtledoves and night herons flying by with visible gunshot injuries, while a common kestrel was even shot down in Wardija before a birdwatching team’s eyes.

While the police, according to BirdLife Malta, are responding quickly to reports of illegalities, the organisation observes that police teams are too short-staffed to have a serious impact on the widespread illegal practices.

Moreover, the fact that police patrolling for illegal hunting do so in marked cars and in uniform means hunters are quickly alerted to a police presence in their area. BirdLife yesterday observed how over the last couple days it has seen shooting being brought to a halt as police were seen approaching, only to resume once again as soon as they left the area.

Over and above the illegalities recorded by BirdLife workers, the organisation said it has also been receiving numerous reports of illegal shooting from the public across Malta and Gozo since Monday.

Putting the issue of illegal hunting practices in Malta in an international light, BirdLife Germany ornithology and bird conservation officer Markus Nipkow, himself taking part in the Spring Watch activity, commented yesterday, “Our conservation work in Germany will not succeed if migratory birds are slaughtered over the Maltese islands, as it is evident that the conservation of our common natural heritage lies beyond national borders. We are aware that an overwhelming majority in Malta is against spring hunting but we fail to understand why the Maltese government is reluctant to put an end to this unsustainable practice.”