In a statement today the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) said that over the course of the past week CABS’ Bird Guards participating in Operation Honey Buzzard “have again observed, and in many cases filmed, the shooting down of numerous protected birds of prey.”

According to the conservation organisation, since the end of the afternoon hunting curfew birds of prey arriving in the evening are above all affected.

CABS said that “on Monday evening the volunteers witnessed how several hunters almost completely wiped out a roost of some 15 Common and Lesser Kestrels that had settled in trees in Safi, close to the runway of the international airport.”

CABS reports that the majority of the birds had already landed in a group of eucalyptus trees when a number of shots rang out and flushed the birds from their roost. “After that a bout of wild shooting began and it is feared that all the falcons were killed. At least five shootings down were witnessed directly of which three were filmed.”

A CABS video of the Safi Falcon Massacre has been published in Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGrz1wFuZZ0.

“After several days of very slow migration, yesterday evening saw the arrival of numerous Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harriers and falcons to various parts of Malta.” CABS said its teams deployed to Safi, Dingli, Bingemma and the area around Bahrija “recorded numerous shots at the incoming birds and witnessed directly the shooting down of a Honey Buzzard and a Kestrel and the shooting at another Honey Buzzard with 6 shots.”

CABS said the shooting down of a third Honey Buzzard near Dingli was filmed and is also on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQY5ir8hxQ.

“Near Mgarr (Gozo) a member of the public observed a hunter shooting down a Hobby yesterday afternoon. The bird was recovered by the police and brought to a veterinary surgeon by members of CABS.

“Information received from police sources has confirmed that the ALE on Malta has also recovered at least 3 injured or dead birds of prey and has seized three shotguns, one of which was specially fitted with a spotlight for night shooting.”

“Our data and observations prove that the poaching problem on Malta still reaches staggering dimensions. The insistence by the hunting associations that such incidents are isolated cases are deliberate and misleading propaganda, designed to prevent any further and necessary restrictions on hunting” comments CABS president Heinz Schwarze. “This sort of weak rhetoric used by FKNK und KSU is reminiscent of other lost causes grasping at the last straw before they finally go under,” Schwarze continues.

CABS further report that “the Bird Guards managed to film a trapper in Safi illegally trapping Quails. The police, who reacted rapidly, were able to catch the man on his trapping site red-handed and he will be charged accordingly.”

CABS said a “team sent to monitor the site yesterday evening were accosted by a man who ran out of a nearby house and, without warning, struck one of the conservationists full in the face with his fist and felled him to the ground. The 59 year old volunteer had to receive medical treatment in Floriana.

“The attacker was arrested the same evening by the police and spent the night in the cells. This morning the 40 year old was arraigned before the court and received a two year jail sentence – with a conditional discharge for two years.

CABS concluded by saying that “while this report is written a CABS team at Dingli Cliffs filmed another Honey Buzzard being shot down at 4:35 pm today.”

Photograph shows a Honey Buzzard in flight – CABS.

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