Birdlife Malta said in a statement that on Thursday afternoon it discovered the carcasses of 14 gulls, all protected by law, in an underground chamber, part of Second World War fortifications at Selmun, overlooking St. Paul’s Island.

“Following information received by the organisation that a number of dead birds had been found at the location by picnickers, three BirdLife Malta staff went to the area to verify the report,” BLM said.

“Upon finding the described underground chamber and establishing that it contained the remains of several dead protected birds.” BirdLife continued, “it informed the Administrative Law Enforcement unit who shortly after arrived at the scene and confirmed BLM’s report. Enforcement Officers from MEPA were called out to retrieve the birds’ remains.”

The protected birds, 13 Yellow-legged Gulls and one Black-headed Gull, were found to be in an advanced stage of decomposition, the most recent having been dead since winter.

“In December last year, BirdLife submitted a report to ALE regarding a poacher shooting and killing at least three Yellow-legged Gulls. Photos were taken by a member of the public of a hunter using an illegal gull decoy to attract the birds to his hunting area in the exact same location as the bird tomb found this week,” the NGO said.

Nicholas Barbara, BirdLife Malta’s Conservation and Policy Officer, said, “in addition to the find of dead gulls in Selmun, BirdLife has received a total of seven shot protected birds in the first eight days of the spring hunting season. Protected birds received by BirdLife so far include two Common Cuckoos, a Golden Oriole, a Bee-eater, a Hoopoe, a Common Kestrel and a Marsh Harrier, all with verified gunshot injuries.”

“BirdLife Malta’s Spring Watch teams have also observed numerous protected migratory birds in flight over Malta suffering from injuries consistent with shotgun wounds, as well as witnessing protected birds being targeted by illegal hunters. These include an Osprey, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Swifts and Bee-eaters.”

Nicolas Barbara concluded by saying, “Spring migration, especially of birds of prey, has yet to start in earnest. But, when it does, BirdLife fears that the illegal shooting of protected birds will, as in previous years, drastically increase. During the spring of 2011, BirdLife Malta and CABS alone recorded over 751 illegalities committed during last year’s spring hunting derogation.”

Photo shows one of the 13 dead Yellow-legged gulls retrieved by MEPA at Selmun on Thursday – Birdlife Malta.

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