The juvenile Flamingo that has been at Ghadira Nature Reserve since the middle of September, It was confirmed yesterday that it had been shot. The bird left Ghadira early Sunday morning and within an hour and a half was back in the reserve bleeding from its head and belly.

Attempts to get close to the bird for a physical examination were aborted as staff did not wish to frighten the bird, causing it to fly out of the reserve and thus fall victim to a poacher or die as a result of its wounds. Yesterday was the first time since the incident that the bird flew and BirdLife Malta staff observed damage to the wing which can only be caused by a gun shot.

The bird remains under close observation to establish whether intervention is required.

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