Not even birds released by the hunters themselves are being spared from illegal hunting this autumn hunting season, BirdLife said in a statement Tuesday.

This Barn Owl (Barbaġann) that forms part of a reintroduction project managed by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) was illegally shot over the past few days, ending up in the grounds of a school, the NGO said.

The injured bird – with an evident gunshot injury to its right wing – was found at St Dorothy’s School in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. 

The bird was found by a member of the public and handed over to BirdLife Malta on Monday 18 December. Following an examination by the government vet, it was today confirmed that the bird was suffering from a gunshot wound, leading to a broken right wing. 

The bird has a ring on its left leg bearing the details “024-BORP”. The reading of the ring highlights the fact that it is from the FKNK’s project, with the letters BORP standing for “Barn Owl Reintroduction project”. 

This reintroduction project led by FKNK since 2018 is funded by the Government through the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU), and its objective is to re-establish the species that was exterminated by illegal hunting throughout the years. Various pairs of Barn Owl used to breed in Malta and Gozo regularly until the eighties. 

The Barn Owls are bred and reared in captivity in a facility in Buskett, before then being released back into the wild where it is hoped that these beautiful birds will then breed once again across the Maltese Islands. 

Sadly for this particular bird, this opportunity was cut short due to illegal hunting which – as clearly llustrated by this incident – remains rampant and indiscriminatory, with hunters targeting anything that flies, especially during open hunting seasons such as the ongoing season that runs until the end of January 2024.  

BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana stated: “This incident, which is just part of the tip of the iceberg of what happens with illegal hunting in Malta, reminds us how destructive hunting is and how backwards in time we have gone when even the efforts of the hunting lobby to greenwash hunters’  activities, gets stained red in blood literally by hunters themselves. This is a far cry from true conservation!”