Grisly Discovery: Nearly 200 Protected Birds Slaughtered in Malta
The remains of nearly 200 protected birds have been discovered in Malta. The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and the BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp located the carcasses under trash and stones in the woodland area of Mizieb. The organizations are currently running two separate migration and observation camps. Nearly 400 species of birds have been recorded on Malta, which is a central migration route across the Mediterranean.
On September 20th, 73 protected birds were discovered in one day. So far, a total of 193 birds have been 
killed. The slaughtered birds include 38 Marsh Harriers, 35 Night Herons, 33 Falcons, 18 Honey Buzzards and 3 Hoopoes. Some of the birds had recently been killed, others had been dead for quite some time. More remains are expected.
According to CABS Press Officer Alex Hirschfeld, “What we have been witnessing over the last two days, together with the shocking finding in Mizieb, is a sad reflection of the true scale of illegal hunting in Malta. What we have uncovered is only the tip of the iceberg, as the scope and range of our teams is limited and we can therefore only cover a small geographical area of the Maltese islands.”
Volunteers from the two organizations witnessed the protected birds being shot as they were leaving their roosting sites. Two injured Grey Herons, a Honey Buzzard and Common Kestrel were recovered. Earlier in the month, a Marsh Harrier died of severe gunshot wounds despite hospital care.
During Raptor Camp 2008, two poachers were filmed stashing the carcass of a dead Lesser Spotted Eagle after shooting the bird in broad daylight. The men received one of the largest wildlife fines ever handed out by a Maltese court. 362 incidents of illegal hunting were recorded during Raptor Camp 2008. In 2007, 211 illegal incidents were recorded during the Camp.
Some of the illegal shooting incidents and illegal use of electronic lures this year have been filmed and will be placed on YouTube in the coming weeks.
Falcon photo Van3000 CC
Hoopoe photo by Julio Caldas
