Malta: Unparalleled slaughter of migrant birds of prey (1 Viewer)

[Black Wheatear]

There was sometime ago, i signed it (along with thousands of other people)and as you can see it still continues. European parliment cares not :C
It makes my blood boil!

Is the petition still up and running CT? Does anyone know the contact details for the man from Birdlife International on Malta?

Anyone care to be the Martyr Jos and Steve are keen for???? I'm too old, honest, Steve is quite young and fit though!

:C

 

[Stevie babe]

Saturday and Sunday newspapers are loaded with holiday ads for Malta. I, for ome will try to write to those advertisers and request their confirmation they are actively involved in the the halting of hunting in Malta and that I, for one, will not be going until hunting is totally stopped and that it is being properly policed. I would also draw their attention to the fact that, as a member of RSPB I am one of over a million potential holiday makers to Malta who would gladly go to the island for a birding / eco friendly holiday. And that is just for the UK. What is the potential for the rest of Northern European? To fill their hotels in Spring and Autumn must surely be a very appetising prospect.

Putting direct pressure on their main income is the only feasable way I can think of to make them take it seriously - whilst maintaining prssure on the EU.

Steve

 

[Vectis Birder]

Totally depressing, a backward nation. Indeed the EU should be putting them under pressures they couldn't ignore.

Agreed. Total barstewards. :C

I agree with Mary the George Cross awarded to that nasty little island should be taken away. And it's about time the EU grew some balls and yanked those cavemen back into line.

 

[steve west]

Is the petition still up and running CT? Does anyone know the contact details for the man from Birdlife International on Malta?

Anyone care to be the Martyr Jos and Steve are keen for???? I'm too old, honest, Steve is quite young and fit though!

:C

Thanks Peter for the dubious honours! Personally I feel that the older the better as far as martys are concerned!

Steve
http://www.BirdingInSpain.com

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi Black Wheater,

BirdLife Malta work as hard as they can to protect the birds, their camp is only a part of what they do but it is difficult dealing with a government that won't do anything to upset their voters. I too like you all, wish more of the decent citizens of Malta would stand up for the birds but it is a very close knit community, many people are related. Sorry I don't know how else to put that.

Tolga Temuge (formerly Greenpeace and a tough man) is the Executive Director of BirdLife Malta and Dr. Andre Raine is Conservation Manager, both can be contacted at birdlifemalta.org.

You can read all about them and what they are doing on BirdLife Malta's website.

http://www.birdlifemalta.org/

Ann

 

[Black Wheatear]

Hi Black Wheater,

BirdLife Malta work as hard as they can to protect the birds, their camp is only a part of what they do but it is difficult dealing with a government that won't do anything to upset their voters. I too like you all, wish more of the decent citizens of Malta would stand up for the birds but it is a very close knit community, many people are related. Sorry I don't know how else to put that.

Tolga Temuge (formerly Greenpeace and a tough man) is the Executive Director of BirdLife Malta and Dr. Andre Raine is Conservation Manager, both can be contacted at birdlifemalta.org.

You can read all about them and what they are doing on BirdLife Malta's website.

http://www.birdlifemalta.org/

Ann

Thanks Ann. It is good to know, albeit also frustrating with the constant situation, that there are good folk on the ground for Birdlife in Malta. I guess their life must be pretty isolated amongst islanders and no doubt extremely difficult. They have my complete sympathy and if there is anything forumers can do to assist them, I hope they will post up on here.

Thanks again.

 

[steve west]

More thanks Ann. It's obvious that Birdlife Malta is doing all that it can. What level of cooperation is there with the other Birdlife partners? Presumably the Maltese government cannot be prosecuted if the hunting going on is illegal, and the police are doing what they can to enforce European legislation. Is that the case? Or are there certain exceptions or ommissions that reflect directly on the government itself?

Steve
http://www.BirdingInSpain.com

 

[Jos Stratford]

Presumably the Maltese government cannot be prosecuted if the hunting going on is illegal, and the police are doing what they can to enforce European legislation.

Clearly they are not. Let's just imagine there were gun-toting idiots shooting tourists. It would be stopped immediately. Same could be with gun-toting idiots shooting birds - if the political and police will were there, it would be stopped tomorrow. Fact is simply Malta is backward.

 

[Black Wheatear]

Clearly they are not. Let's just imagine there were gun-toting idiots shooting tourists. It would be stopped immediately. Same could be with gun-toting idiots shooting birds - if the political and police will were there, it would be stopped tomorrow. Fact is simply Malta is backward.

Absolutely right Jos! Backward and barbaric. Certainly intend to put a piece on our tour website to try and discourage people from going to this lawless island/rock. Not much I know, but can't think of anything better at the moment.

:C

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi Steve,

I have received this article from the Times Malta this morning and think you will see what we are all up against. I tried to copy just one paragraph but that didn't work.

Everybody can read it for themselves, much easier than going to the Times site. The paragraph about foreign birdwatchers, David Conlin and the CAB's team is of course out of context, to me anyway, twisted. They were there to protect the birds which the law abiding hunters and citizens should have been doing in the first place.

Ann


Tuesday, 30th September 2008

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080930/letters/punishing-all-to-get-at-the-few

Punishing all to get at the few

Anthony Caruana, Sliema

I read with great interest the letter Lament Of A Law Abiding Hunter, by Publio Danny Rosso (September 26) and fully endorse the views and arguments he brought forward. These truly represent the views of the majority of law-abiding hunters.

We cannot be held responsible for the control of illegal hunting.

CABS and Birdlife are playing on the fact that due to insufficient resources and other logistical problems it is difficult for the FKNK, the government and police to control and contain this problem, and because of this they have asked the government to apply a blanket punishment on all hunters.

By the same token football should be banned all over the world because of the criminal behaviour of some of the club supporters which often ends in tragedy. Can one imagine the reaction of all football lovers if this were to happen?

Comment ========================================
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

I too endorse Mr. Rosso's views. However I tend to disagree that the problem of illegal hunting cannot be controlled.

Government can, to say the least save face. Illegal hunting takes place during peak raptor migration. Mid May to end May and mid September to end September. On Birdlife's insistance Government chose to implement a 2 week ban in September. This proved utterly useless as the number of poachers caught was insignificant.

Kaccaturi San Ubertu put forward a proposal whereby the monies collected from our licenses go towards the setting up of an environment warden system. We also proposed that the hunting area in Malta be split up into zones each with its own warden unit, Government has ignored this proposal, not even acknowledged it.

It seems the presence of foreign birdwatchers who are not interested in controlling this abuse, but of amplifying it to their benefit, is Governments

 

[Stevie babe]

Hi Steve,

I have received this article from the Times Malta this morning and think you will see what we are all up against. I tried to copy just one paragraph but that didn't work.

Everybody can read it for themselves, much easier than going to the Times site. The paragraph about foreign birdwatchers, David Conlin and the CAB's team is of course out of context, to me anyway, twisted. They were there to protect the birds which the law abiding hunters and citizens should have been doing in the first place.

Ann


Tuesday, 30th September 2008

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080930/letters/punishing-all-to-get-at-the-few

Punishing all to get at the few

Anthony Caruana, Sliema

I read with great interest the letter Lament Of A Law Abiding Hunter, by Publio Danny Rosso (September 26) and fully endorse the views and arguments he brought forward. These truly represent the views of the majority of law-abiding hunters.

We cannot be held responsible for the control of illegal hunting.

CABS and Birdlife are playing on the fact that due to insufficient resources and other logistical problems it is difficult for the FKNK, the government and police to control and contain this problem, and because of this they have asked the government to apply a blanket punishment on all hunters.

By the same token football should be banned all over the world because of the criminal behaviour of some of the club supporters which often ends in tragedy. Can one imagine the reaction of all football lovers if this were to happen?

Comment ========================================
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

I too endorse Mr. Rosso's views. However I tend to disagree that the problem of illegal hunting cannot be controlled.

Government can, to say the least save face. Illegal hunting takes place during peak raptor migration. Mid May to end May and mid September to end September. On Birdlife's insistance Government chose to implement a 2 week ban in September. This proved utterly useless as the number of poachers caught was insignificant.

Kaccaturi San Ubertu put forward a proposal whereby the monies collected from our licenses go towards the setting up of an environment warden system. We also proposed that the hunting area in Malta be split up into zones each with its own warden unit, Government has ignored this proposal, not even acknowledged it.

It seems the presence of foreign birdwatchers who are not interested in controlling this abuse, but of amplifying it to their benefit, is Governments

Thanks anne for that,

The above argument has little weight with me. If the law abiding hunters felt that they were being tarnished by the illegal hunters then logically those that are law abiding would ensure a state of self control and should be able to stop the illegal ones themselves. By their own admission they are in the majority.

It doesn't solve the issue as we would like it but if legal hunters practised what they preached they could stop much of the twice yearly wholesale massacre in one fell swoop.

Steve

 

[Markus Jais]

The RSPB also has a new story about this:

http://rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-200028

Markus

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi Markus,

Thank you for posting the latest news from the RSPB.

I hope the Maltese government cut short the autumn hunting season as they did in Spring but don't think it will happen. if it does we the concerned foreigners will be blamed again for interfering and stopping their "hobby".

Ann

 

[deborah4]

The RSPB also has a new story about this:

http://rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-200028

Markus

'bout time the mainstream media picked up a bit more on this, perhaps it will reach a wider audience of garden birdwatchers and some of those velour tracksuit dressed stuffed donkey carriers who go to Malta on package tours completely oblivious to what goes on outside the hotel complexes


(I suspected that the reasons for a ban on Spring hunting would invite a backlash/be ignored in the Autumn http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=76459&page=3 I don't dream of birds anymore, I dream of shooting hunters!)

 

[VATH 82]

:C

The RSPB also has a new story about this:

http://rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-200028

Markus

I'm sure the Church could educate their followers

 

[Gallina]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-199217

Seems like you have skeletons in your closet too. Why is it that none of you, with the exception of 400mark, albeit fleetingly, bothered to comment about this? A 6 month suspended sentence? Are any of you even remotely aware that the law in Malta carries a maximum of 2 years imprisonment and a €14,000 fine for anyone caught poaching?
I condemn illegal hunting. I am making this point however because in this forum you seem hell bent on dragging Malta through the dirt, slinging all sorts of names, and basically generalising when the problem is the poachers and the impotent law enforcers.
It is not the majority of hunters, it is not the Maltese people, we are not cavemen nor idiots, we're not stubborn nor barbarians. Yet there are a few amongst us, as there are many amongst you, who persist in this sort of unnacceptable behaviour. Please lay off Malta as a nation and just direct your comments at all forms of poaching and poachers.

 

[John Cantelo]

I think Gallina may be right in suggesting that the majority of the Maltese people oppose hunting. However, whether through lack of commitment, the wrangles of politicians or intimidation they have allowed the hunting lobby to have undue influence. It seems to me that, with the honourable exception of Maltese bird activists, the Maltese have neglected to stop the abuse. No, this has been left to 'foriegn' visitors - the Maltese should be ashamed rather than resentful of this fact. The Maltese people have repeatedly through their history proved themselves to be a brave and resilient nation - isn't it time that greater numbers of the Maltese people joined BirdLife Malta and got rid of these abuses? Imprisonment and a heavy fine may well be the notional punishment, but how often has it actually been imposed? I'd be delighted, but surprised, if it was very often. With regard to the UK case quoted it is, perhaps, significant that the offender was 'shopped' by other gamekeepers. Remember too that these birds would have been poisoned, trapped or shot on large private estates in a very covert manner. In Malta they seem to blast protected birds out of the sky in full public view - which tells us both that the illegal hunters act with impunity and that many in the population turn a blind eye to the practise. If the hunting lobby in Malta is as anti-illegal hunting as it claims then how often have they 'shopped' this 'rogue element' to the authorities? Lets remember that we're talking of a place with a population of less than half a million (= that of Wiltshire) crammed an area of only 316 sq km (i.e. smaller than many metropolitian areas in the UK). It's hard to imagine that the hunting community don't know exactly who these 'illegal' people are; if in doubt some of them only have to look in the mirror. Remember to how fiercely they fought any reasonable controls or legislation and how much they clearly resented them? (And how long, exactly, have cheap reliable shotguns been available on Malta for this 'traditional hunting' to develop?) It's not the hunters who've been repeatedly threatened, attacked and abused. It's not Birdlife Malta or the RSPB that brings the island into disrepute but hunters be they 'legal' or 'illegal'. To think anything else is simply fooling yourself,

John

John

 

[Kestrel21]

Well put Ann,

its not all of us here who kill bops, some do care but its not easy.... The people at birdlife malta and their volunteers work hard and strive to change things.

Its not easy, here you get threatened and looked bad when you are seen with binoculars. People i know had their cars arsoned whilst they were birding, on other occasions camp participants had their car tyres slashed...

When we go birdwatching we always keep sight of the cars cause you never know. I really envy other countries where you can birdwatch in a more relaxed way.

This very evening, i saw an osprey being shot down.....you wont beleive me, but seeing birds of prey being shot down is the order of the day during migration......

As regards your help, DO write to EU and Environment commissioner, show your disapproval to this slaughter and make the word spread, our government needs foreign pressure for it to start moving.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Seems like you have skeletons in your closet too. Why is it that none of you, with the exception of 400mark, albeit fleetingly, bothered to comment about this?

Indeed there are cases of persecution in the UK too, cases that need to be highlighted and stopped. Read through this forum and you will find plenty of threads that condemn it.

However, the sheer scale of persecution in Malta leaves the comparison between nations very one-sided. Nowhere in the UK will you find the routine shooting down of migrants, rare, common, protected or otherwise. Additionally, though there may be room for improvement, the general picture in the UK is of a society more acting to protect birds, not destroy them.

we are not cavemen nor idiots, we're not stubborn nor barbarians. Please lay off Malta as a nation and just direct your comments at all forms of poaching and poachers.

I'm sorry, but Malta as a nation does need to be criticised. Illegal hunting is widespread, enforcement of E.U. law is scant and the country is a disgrace to Europe. I fully understand there are some very good hard-working persons trying to curb the hunting, but the nation as a whole needs to look at itself. It is not outsiders that are responsible for the appalling reputation that your country has, it is (a) the actual barbarians that are carrying out the slaughter and (b) the complicity of the government and society at large.

If Malta doesn't want its image dragged forever through the dirt by, as you say, a minority, why doesn't the majority stand up and demand a change?

 

[Kestrel21]

The punishment quoted by Gallina was never, I say NEVER given to any hunter to date on this bloody island i happen to live in.

The problem is that a team of about 20 police officers have to control 12 000 registered hunters. So at one point you only have two or three vehicles and a maximum of 8 officers to cover all malta. This squad is not dedicated to hunting only so sometimes they are unavailable when you call them and instead district police intervene, the latter however have less experience in the field and rarely manage to apprehend anyone.

In simple words, hunters afford to shoot all kind of birds cause they have a high chance of making it.

Say all the truth Gallina, and please enlighten me on any hunter who got a prison or a suspended sentence here in Malta.