BirdLife Malta has claimed that there has been “rampant illegal hunting ahead of the spring hunting season amid lack of enforcement and transparency.”

In a statement on Monday, the organisation said that “illegal hunting of Turtle-doves has been recorded daily in the past days despite the official spring hunting season for this species not yet being open. Since the start of BirdLife Malta’s Spring Watch on the 10th of April, teams have documented daily cases with shots being fired every morning across both islands.”

It stated that on the 11th of April, a Black Stork that appeared in the northwest of Malta “was shot at and has not been seen since. Illegal hunting especially peaked on Sunday morning in the south of Malta.”

BirdLife Malta went on to say that it has collected evidence of at least four cases, which are now expected to be prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU). “In one of the most serious incidents, a hunter in Bidnija was caught on Sunday after shooting a Turtle-dove with a gun fitted with a silencer.”

Despite attempting to flee, BirdLife Malta said that EPU officers called to the site by the organisation, retrieved the hidden weapon along with a dead Turtle-dove. “Unfortunately, a similar case intercepted in the south of Malta could not be addressed by the same EPU team, as they were fully occupied with the Bidnija case.”

According to BirdLife Malta, “Police presence over recent days in the countryside has been minimal, with enforcement teams unable to act on all reported illegalities. Reports were also made by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and the Malta Ranger Unit (MRU), with whom BirdLife Malta is collaborating continuously. Officers are expected to increase in number from today, in line with the requirement of fielding seven enforcement officers per 1,000 hunting licences.”

The organisation said that the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) “has not published the total number of hunting licences issued, nor their distribution across Malta and Gozo, despite repeated requests for this information. Calculating on past years one expects over 8,000 hunters meaning at least 56 police officers should be out in the countryside.”

From experience, BirdLife Malta said that it “strongly doubts whether this human resource is available to meet the obligations of this derogation.”

At the same time, the organisation said that “the trapping of Turtle-doves is set to begin under a supposed ‘research initiative’ run by one of the two hunting federations, the FKNK – this is despite no legislation having been issued to permit this so-called derogation.”

While NGOs remain unaware of what will be permitted, BirdLife Malta said that “it remains unclear whether enforcement authorities such as the EPU and Gozo Police have even been briefed on the scope of this trapping derogation.”

“The practice, framed as scientific research, is yet another veiled attempt to bypass EU law,” stated BirdLife Malta. “The trapping of Turtle-doves during spring migration is expressly forbidden under the EU Birds Directive, and the same type of derogation was already blocked by the European Commission in 2011. FKNK’s attempt to rebrand trapping as a conservation effort lacks both legal standing and scientific credibility and is backed only by a majority vote of the Ornis Committee.”

The organisation insisted that “according to framework regulations, spring hunting may only proceed if the previous season’s declared catches fall below a set threshold. These statistics, usually published by the WBRU, have also not been released. Past data has shown that only a small fraction of licensed hunters reported any activity at all, undermining the legal basis to justify the need for a spring season.”

“What we have these days are state-enabled illegalities. From having insufficient police units patrolling ahead of the season, to hunting season dates purposely shifted to coincide with peak Turtle-dove migration, to the unregulated trapping of Turtle-doves over the coming weeks – while season statistics are kept under wraps. We’re witnessing political complicity in the erosion of what are supposed to be strictly supervised and regulated derogations. Malta is not just breaching EU obligations- it’s mocking them,” stated Nicholas Barbara, Head of Conservation at BirdLife Malta.

BirdLife Malta is urging the public to “remain alert and report any illegalities encountered in the countryside, particularly any signs of trapping, as it remains unclear whether enforcement authorities have been properly briefed.”

The organisation said that it is also “formally addressing the European Commission, as Malta continues to ignore recommendations from the EU’s own Task Force for the Recovery of Birds to halt Turtle-dove hunting altogether. This continued persecution of a species in decline – through both hunting and trapping in 2025 – persists while Malta remains under an open infringement procedure on the matter.”

BirdLife Malta advised illegalities should be reported to 21347645/79255697 or via FB messenger to BirdLife Malta.

Photo: Hunter shooting by BirdLife Malta

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