BirdLife Malta staff and volunteers together with other international conservationists are currently monitoring raptor migration at Messina in Sicily, once notorious for its illegal hunting.

The mountains of Messina used to be renowned as an illegal hunting hotspot until conservation organisations ran a successful campaign that put an end to poaching in Sicily in the 1990s.

News of the vandalism at a wall in Victoria Lines in Malta reached the group in Sicily resulting in an immediate reaction from BirdLife Malta. The Executive Director of the conservation organisation, Tolga Temuge, condemned the act of vandalism.

“BirdLife Malta condemns any act of vandalism and statements that are inciting hate and intolerance. Our campaign in Malta is about hunting in spring and the killing of protected species which are both illegal in the EU. We strongly condemn any attempt that is aimed at diverting focus from real issues of conservation,” he said.

Commenting from Sicily Temuge concluded: “Wild birds and their habitats are our common natural heritage and do not belong to any individual, corporation or state. It is our duty to work on an international level to safeguard this heritage.”

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