BirdLife Community

BirdLife Malta acts on illegal hunting

Following electoral pledges designed to woo hunters’ votes the new Maltese government has further relaxed the hunting legislation in a country sadly famed for its rampant illegal killing of birds. This worsens the situation created by the issuing of yet another derogation that allows a spring hunting season, even longer this year, in violation with the EU Birds Directive.

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White Storks hunted down

A flock of 200 White Storks in Malta were shot at from several different locations, in spite of BirdLife Malta’s efforts.

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Record number of Spoonbills seeking shelter from storm greeted with gunfire in Malta

Starting last Friday, and continuing into the weekend, illegal hunters have been targeting rare protected Eurasian Spoonbill as a record three flocks totaling around 70 Spoonbills sought shelter in the southeast of Malta from gale force winds.

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Help stop illegal hunting in Malta

Illegal hunting is a widespread and serious problem in Malta, with poachers specifically targeting protected birds including raptors (birds of prey) and Herons as well as rarer visitors to the islands.

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BirdLife office inundated with shot protected birds and illegal hunting reports

Over the last three weeks since the end of BirdLife Malta’s Raptor Camp, the BirdLife office continued to receive shot protected birds and reports of widespread shooting and killing of birds of prey and herons, particularly following unstable weather over the Mediterranean during this last week. Stormy weather at the beginning of the week brought [...]

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Maltese hunters have spoonbills in their sights

Malta has been shamed yet again by its illegal bird hunters who have blasted a number of Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia this week.

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BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp – September 2010 Video

Raphael Vassallo joins BirdLife Malta (BirdLife Partner) and the Campaign Against Bird Slaughter (CBAS) on their Raptor Watch camp in the Maltese countryside, monitoring for illegal hunting and trapping.

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BirdLife fieldworker assaulted by illegal trapper

A BirdLife Malta fieldworker was physically attacked and injured by an individual illegally trapping waders adjacent to the Salina Bird Sanctuary.

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Malta Spring hunting is unlawful

The new derogation contravenes the requirements of the EU Birds Directive as it clearly fails to satisfy the key conditions required by EU legislation: Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur and Common Quail Coturnix coturnix are in unfavourable conservation status in Europe and as required by the Commission’s guidance on hunting, no derogation for these species should be allowed.

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New spring hunting season in Malta

The shameful decision by the Maltese Government to open the spring hunting season in 2010 is a set back for nature conservation, which is particularly disturbing as 2010 is supposed to be the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’.

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120,000 people call for a stop to illegal hunting on Malta

BirdLife Malta (BirdLife Partner) have received reports about a series of illegal shooting incidents as the spring migration starts on the island. In recent days BirdLife Malta was given four protected birds of prey with gun shot injuries as reports of illegal hunting increased. These included Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni (Vulnerable), Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus [...]

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