Chris Monk
Well-known member
Photo: An injured marsh harrier
>http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=184340<
As reports of illegal shooting of migratory birds continue to pour in, the
British press has again lambasted Malta as a trigger-happy nation of
hunters.
"The slaughter, on land and at sea, includes some of the most familiar and
popular species in the UK including swifts, swallows and house martins, sky
larks, song thrushes, robins and turtle doves," the Scotsman has reported.
Alan Knight, chief executive of International Animal Rescue, was quoted as
saying: "It is ironic that, while people in the UK love birds and bird
watching, in Malta a fanatical minority is obsessed with killing as many
birds as it can.
"The Maltese authorities recognise that this indiscriminate slaughter is a
huge blot on Malta's reputation as a desirable tourist destination that
horrifies bird and nature lovers in Britain, and we fully support their
efforts to stamp out all illegal shooting activity."
On a positive note, Mr Knight said that last October he went out on a sea
patrol with the Maltese police and saw first-hand their determination to
catch hunters who are flouting the law.
The IAR is in fact going to provide more firepower to the police in their
battle against hunters when it donates a high-powered patrol boat to them on
Friday. The boat is intended to help the police intercept hunters illegally
shooting birds at sea, many of which would be on their way to breeding
grounds in northern Europe.
Max Farrugia, spokesman for the local branch of IAR, said the new 70 mph,
250 horsepower boat had been designed and custom-built in Malta to support
the work of the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit.
In recent years, the IAR also donated a high-speed rigid inflatable boat and
two high-powered marine engines to the unit to help them track down hunters
acting illegally.
"We prefer action rather than lobbying. We know shooting at sea is still
rife and we're trying to do our utmost to help. We spoke to the police
several times and we know that with more personnel and equipment they can
catch more hunters flouting the law," he told The Times.
The ALE has more than 23 officials dedicated to protecting wildlife and the
environment, but they lack equipment. Reports in the media recently showed
that several hunters were defying the law as police resources were stretched
to the limit.
Indeed, a recent European Commission monitoring mission to Malta seems to
have had little impact on some hunters, as is evident from the continued
reports of illegal hunting reaching BirdLife Malta.
Purple herons, little egrets, night herons, marsh harriers, kestrels,
swallows and swifts were among the species gunned down over the past days,
BirdLife lamented.
A flock of little egrets on Friday was disturbed by illegal hunting as five
shots were heard off Anchor Bay. Another flock of 20 night herons flying
over l-Ahrax Point was again greeted by lead shot.
Marsh harriers were shot at in the limits of Zurrieq and Ghar Lapsi on
Saturday afternoon. In Gozo, illegal hunting was reported with marsh
harriers again being easy targets.
Nick Hanley, who led the EU delegation to Malta last week, had remarked: "We
go away very largely reassured that the picture sometimes painted by the
press is not quite as bad as it appears to be on the ground."
But BirdLife hit back saying this seemed hardly the case judging from the
continued illegal hunting reports and from the workload of the ALE police.
"It is clear that the situation on the ground is actually far worse than
depicted in the press," it claimed.
With spring bird migration reaching its peak in the next three weeks, the
government's spring hunting concession for turtle dove and quail would again
be "used and abused" by many irresponsible hunters to shoot anything within
gunshot.
The concession effectively ensures that turtle dove, quail or other birds
larger than a sparrow will be killed within days, BirdLife said.
The EU officials said last week that the government would have to report
back to the Commission at the end of the year on how it ensured that the
spring concession was satisfying the conditions laid down by the Birds
Directive.
http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=184340
>http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=184340<
As reports of illegal shooting of migratory birds continue to pour in, the
British press has again lambasted Malta as a trigger-happy nation of
hunters.
"The slaughter, on land and at sea, includes some of the most familiar and
popular species in the UK including swifts, swallows and house martins, sky
larks, song thrushes, robins and turtle doves," the Scotsman has reported.
Alan Knight, chief executive of International Animal Rescue, was quoted as
saying: "It is ironic that, while people in the UK love birds and bird
watching, in Malta a fanatical minority is obsessed with killing as many
birds as it can.
"The Maltese authorities recognise that this indiscriminate slaughter is a
huge blot on Malta's reputation as a desirable tourist destination that
horrifies bird and nature lovers in Britain, and we fully support their
efforts to stamp out all illegal shooting activity."
On a positive note, Mr Knight said that last October he went out on a sea
patrol with the Maltese police and saw first-hand their determination to
catch hunters who are flouting the law.
The IAR is in fact going to provide more firepower to the police in their
battle against hunters when it donates a high-powered patrol boat to them on
Friday. The boat is intended to help the police intercept hunters illegally
shooting birds at sea, many of which would be on their way to breeding
grounds in northern Europe.
Max Farrugia, spokesman for the local branch of IAR, said the new 70 mph,
250 horsepower boat had been designed and custom-built in Malta to support
the work of the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit.
In recent years, the IAR also donated a high-speed rigid inflatable boat and
two high-powered marine engines to the unit to help them track down hunters
acting illegally.
"We prefer action rather than lobbying. We know shooting at sea is still
rife and we're trying to do our utmost to help. We spoke to the police
several times and we know that with more personnel and equipment they can
catch more hunters flouting the law," he told The Times.
The ALE has more than 23 officials dedicated to protecting wildlife and the
environment, but they lack equipment. Reports in the media recently showed
that several hunters were defying the law as police resources were stretched
to the limit.
Indeed, a recent European Commission monitoring mission to Malta seems to
have had little impact on some hunters, as is evident from the continued
reports of illegal hunting reaching BirdLife Malta.
Purple herons, little egrets, night herons, marsh harriers, kestrels,
swallows and swifts were among the species gunned down over the past days,
BirdLife lamented.
A flock of little egrets on Friday was disturbed by illegal hunting as five
shots were heard off Anchor Bay. Another flock of 20 night herons flying
over l-Ahrax Point was again greeted by lead shot.
Marsh harriers were shot at in the limits of Zurrieq and Ghar Lapsi on
Saturday afternoon. In Gozo, illegal hunting was reported with marsh
harriers again being easy targets.
Nick Hanley, who led the EU delegation to Malta last week, had remarked: "We
go away very largely reassured that the picture sometimes painted by the
press is not quite as bad as it appears to be on the ground."
But BirdLife hit back saying this seemed hardly the case judging from the
continued illegal hunting reports and from the workload of the ALE police.
"It is clear that the situation on the ground is actually far worse than
depicted in the press," it claimed.
With spring bird migration reaching its peak in the next three weeks, the
government's spring hunting concession for turtle dove and quail would again
be "used and abused" by many irresponsible hunters to shoot anything within
gunshot.
The concession effectively ensures that turtle dove, quail or other birds
larger than a sparrow will be killed within days, BirdLife said.
The EU officials said last week that the government would have to report
back to the Commission at the end of the year on how it ensured that the
spring concession was satisfying the conditions laid down by the Birds
Directive.
http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=184340
