BirdLife Malta has announced that their web site has been transformed into a channel for the public to take action this spring by assisting law enforcement on hunting and trapping illegalities.
“The web site offers a step-by-step guide to filing police reports on illegal hunting and trapping, providing information on what to look out for, the details needed to be able to file the report, and more.”
They said that as the conservation organisation announced the start of its international spring watch camp this week, it has extended its reach to the public to assist in efforts to deter illegal hunting and trapping activities by logging on to www.birdlifemalta.org [1].
“Forty-six volunteers from eight countries are in Malta to join around 15 local volunteers for BirdLife’s Spring Watch camp where teams will record illegalities in the countryside. The camp will last three weeks and the resulting evidence and analysis will be shared with government and the European Commission.”
“For the first time, the public is being invited to join in the initiative. As well as encouraging individuals to report illegalities to the police, the web site has also been developed into a channel for the community to express their views on the issue and share experiences.”
Birdlife Malta said that in the last three months, www.birdlifemalta.org [1] received over 93,500 visits, from 160 countries/territories. BirdLife Malta’s internet site was the main tool through which members of the public from all over the world made their voice heard against the illegal killing of protected species as well as spring hunting. The conservation organisation last month delivered over 122,000 signatures to the Prime Minister’s office.
“The government last week announced the opening of a spring hunting season, which BirdLife Malta described as a farce. The organisation insisted the police are ill-equipped to monitor illegal bird shooting and trapping. Law enforcement cannot be effective when the ALE unit, at full strength, consists of less than 25 officers, often operating with only one vehicle.”
The NGO said that they could not respond to almost half the reports of illegalities filed by only two bird surveillance teams over the past few weeks. In over 67 per cent of the cases it took more than an hour for the police to arrive, giving the trappers ample time to get away. BirdLife Malta teams in the field for the Spring Watch camp continue to witness several illegal hunting incidences, and the numbers of shot protected birds handed over to the organisation continues to increase.
“The government announced another spring hunting season to please the hunters, but they are never satisfied. The national interest would have been better served if resources were dedicated to putting an end to the saga,” said Dr Andre Raine, Conservation Manager for BirdLife Malta.
Photo shows Marsh Harrier featured in BirdLife Malta’s public campaign for individuals to take action against spring hunting – BirdLife Malta/Joe Zammit.