The Turtle-dove spring hunting season may not open on 17 April 2024, as planned, after BirdLife Malta filed a Warrant for Prohibitory Injunction at the Law Courts.
The eNGO are demanding that the government rejects the Ornis Committee’s recommendation to open a spring hunting season on the species.
Late Wednesday night, the Court provisionally accepted BirdLife Malta’s request and have set a date for this hearing to be heard on Monday, 22 April 2024, at 10:30am. The Turtle-dove spring hunting season cannot be opened before this case is heard.
The Turtle-dove season was proposed to open between the dates of 17-30 April, both dates included, identical to last year’s season. This matter will be decided by Judge Francesco Depasquale.
On Tuesday evening, the Malta Ornis Committee voted to recommend to Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri for the spring hunting season to be opened and to be identical to last year’s. The Committee accepted FKNK’s proposal for the quail hunting season to be opened between 10-30 April and the Turtle-dove hunting season to be opened between 17-30 April, with the same national quotas of 2,400 quail and 1,500 Turtle-doves as allowed in 2023.
BirdLife Malta said in a statement on social media that their request for prohibitory injunction is based on scientific evidence that “shows a continued decline in Turtle-dove populations.” Additionally, they stated that the recommendation to open this season is based on a “scientifically incorrect” report that was done by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU).
The eNGO said that the WBRU were scientifically incorrect in their report in assuming that Turtle-doves migrating over Malta originate from stable populations, while the species is red-listed as “Vulnerable” and is declining across Europe.
The government has been given a 10 days’ notice to respond to BirdLife Malta’s injunction, the eNGO said.
BirdLife Malta have also requested that a season is not opened onto this species “until these matters are concluded in an ongoing court case that was initiated by BirdLife Malta in November 2022, on the same matter.” BirdLife Malta had previously proposed a moratorium on the spring hunting of the vulnerable species just last week, on 27 March 2024.
Photo: Aron Tanti