Around a dozen alleged poachers have dodged justice because police failed to summon them to court for more than two years. Police and court sources told Times of Malta that an internal police probe is being conducted into the Environmental Protection Unit, which handles hunting and trapping crimes, after several court cases fell through this […]
Tag: Malta
Conservationists slam Malta over bird hunting during COVID-19 lockdown
Bird conservation groups are outraged the spring hunting season in Malta is being opened despite the COVID-19 lockdown. The Maltese islands are a resting point for migratory birds crossing the Mediterranean. Birdlife Malta sent Euronews pictures of a marsh harrier bird of prey, which they say has been shot illegally during this year’s three-week week […]
All but one of 15 Short-toed Eagles ‘shot dead’
All but one of a flock of about 15 rare Short-toed Eagles [Ajkli Bojod] spotted on Saturday evening in the outskirts of Siġġiewi are believed to have been shot dead, BirldLife said. In a statement on Monday, the NGO said the rare birds were observed settling in the outskirts of Siġġiewi and Rabat for the […]
Turtle Dove slaughter in Morocco by foreign hunters
A massacre of nearly 1500 Turtle Doves in one day by foreign tourist hunters in the Marrakech region sparked great outrage in Morocco. The total exceeded by three times the hunting quota set by the law according to an official inquiry. A hunting party organized in the region of Marrakech has turned into a real […]
Over 700 protected birds confiscated in ‘largest haul in years’
More than 700 dead protected birds were confiscated by authorities on Thursday in what they say is the largest such haul in six years. In a joint operation, members of the police’s Administrative Law Enforcement unit together with officials from the Environment and Resources Authority, seized birds including eagles, falcons and vultures as well as […]
POLL: Should Malta be allowed to trap and slaughter migratory birds?
Within a day of arriving on the Mediterranean island of Malta on their southbound migration last August, three of 18 white storks were shot and killed by poachers. Less than two weeks later, just one of the birds was left alive. By Aug. 29, 19 days since the flock arrived, all of the birds had […]
POLL: Should Malta be sanctioned for continuing to slaughter songbirds?
Malta has broken EU law by allowing the hunting and trapping of several finch species, the European court has ruled. The Mediterranean island will face potentially substantial fines unless it ends a derogation it introduced in 2014 allowing the songbirds to be captured. An estimated 110,000 finches have been caught by hunters since then, along […]
POLL: Should there be a moratorium on turtle dove hunting in Malta?
Malta should consider a temporary ban on the shooting of turtle doves which are being driven to extinction by hunting and other pressures, the EU’s environment chief has said. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) put turtledoves on its Red List of species threatened with extinction for the first time last October. […]