More protected birds shot, 63 illegal bird callers found - CABS
Monday, 27 April 2015, 16:15
Last update: about 11 years ago
Two protected birds with shotgun injuries were handed over to the police by volunteers from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) yesterday, as stated by the organisation. A team patrolling through the Mizieb woodland yesterday afternoon discovered a dead Cuckoo. The bird was hidden under a stone and is the fourth of its species found in the area since the opening of the spring hunting season. Officers from Administrative Law Enforcement seized the bird and took photos of the area where the corpse was found.
The organisation also received an injured Yellow-legged gull which was discovered by a member of the public close to Pembroke yesterday morning. The bird was found to have injuries typical to shotgun damage on its left wing. The gull was passed on to the Government veterinary department.
CABS has also informed the police about the locations of 63 illegal bird callers which have been installed by hunters in the countryside to lure birds to their hunting grounds. These electronic callers are predominantly used for Quail. The lures were found mainly in the north of Malta as well as on Gozo. The police have informed CABS that “several” devices were found during night inspections and reassured them that they have since been dismantled accordingly. According to article 8 of the European Birds Directive the use of bird callers is regarded as an illegal method employed for the mass killing of birds. Each unit is composed of a loudspeaker, a battery for power supply, a bird caller which imitates the courtship songs of the Quail and a timer which activates the pre-recorded bird calls in the night.