Poachers near Buskett kill protected Osprey juvenile on first flight to Africa

Another Osprey fell victim to an ongoing season of hunting illegalities after the bird, with visibly dangling legs and colour rings was observed hovering above the Buskett woodland.

The bird, after being shot somewhere in the vicinity, attempted to settle on one of the trees near Buskett. Unable to use its legs, the bird tried hard holding onto a branch until it eventually tumbled down the tree to the ground.

Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) police officers on site reached the bird with the help of birdwatchers and took the bird immediately to the veterinary clinic.

“The diagnosis was clear,” said BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana. “Lead pellets had shattered both legs beyond any chance of recovery.”

The shot Osprey after being retrieved by police from the EPU (Photo: Steve Zammi Lupi)

The ringed bird is a juvenile that started its life some months ago in Latvia, and was on its first journey to Africa for winter.

The bird was later confirmed to have been ringed in July this year as a nestling from the village of Blīdene (Saldus Municipality), Latvia.

“Its journey has however been cut short as a direct result of the state of impunity that hunting is in,” Sultana said. “Years back a 3pm curfew protected these birds from being hunted down as they arrive to Malta to rest for the night. Yet currently, most of the hunting that is witnessed in the afternoon is simply on such protected species.”

This was the second illegally shot Osprey recovered in less than a week following the Osprey recovered by BirdLife staff at Għadira Nature Reserve, after the bird landed injured on one of the islands within the reserve, succumbing to its injuries on Sunday.

Most of these birds originate from Baltic and Scandinavian countries where intense conservation efforts are expended to help this species thrive.

“Current government policies in Malta are wasting away such European efforts simply to appease a hunting lobby to kill more of such species,” Sultana said.

In a short statement, hunting lobby FKNK condemned the killing. “Those who kill protected birds have no post inside FKNK. This act does a great deal of damage to the FKNK’s efforts to protect its traditional pastime, especially to retain the hunting of turtle dove.”