Galdes sends out drones to monitor hunters

The ministry for animal rights and agriculture has boasted of having deployed “robust levels of enforcement” for the spring hunting season that started on Saturday 12 April.

The hunting season was announced in derogation from the EU’s ban on spring hunting, with conservationists BirdLife and the Campaign Against Bird Slaughter having deployed countryside monitors. The UK’s League Against Cruel Sports  will also be in Malta to witness first-hand Malta’s spring hunting season. 

The Malta Police Force, together with the Armed Forces of Malta and in coordination with the Wild Birds Regulation Unit have collectively deployed over 70 enforcement officers, comprising officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, district police officers, officers from Rapid Intervention Unit and officers from canine and mounted police detachments.

The police operation is being assisted by a detachment of AFM personnel in five patrol vehicles, in addition to patrol vehicles deployed by the police.

The government said that the deployment “per square km of countryside” during hunting season was “by far higher than levels of field enforcement deployed in any other country in Europe.”

But that also takes into consideration Malta’s small area of countryside.

Still, the operation will see vehicular patrols, foot patrols, mounted patrols, covert surveillance operations and unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles – drones –and stationary observation posts located in strategic vantage locations.

The drones flew three sorties of about 30 minutes each in protected areas and during times when hunting was not permitted, on Saturday.

Officials of the Specialist Enforcement Branch of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit will be providing assistance to enforcement operations. Officers participating in the enforcement operation received specialized training delivered by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit.

“The aim of the enforcement operation is to ensure that no illegal targeting of protected species occurs, and that any detected incidents of abuse are dealt with swiftly and effectively. In parallel, the enforcement operation is also aimed at ensuring that the general prohibitions and parameters related to open season are enforced,” the animal rights ministry said.

In addition to routine field patrols and inspections, on Saturday and Sunday enforcement officers carried out around 190 spot checks on hunters in the field.

During the course of these inspections, four suspected offenders were apprehended, three on Saturday and one on Sunday. The offences disclosed comprised a case of possession of an uncovered shotgun within a public road; a case of possession of heavy gauge shot; a case of failure to declare hunting on the Carnet de Chasse booklet; a case involving the shooting a protected bird (Swallow); and a case of possession of pre-recorded bird calls during hunting activity.

Hunting rules

A total of 9,798 hunters in possession of a Special Spring Hunting License are allowed to bag turtle dove or quail only.

Each time a catch is made, the hunter is required by law to report the bird caught via SMS to the numbers stipulated in special license, and to record the bag in carnet de chasse before leaving the hunting area.

These reporting obligations, as well as the daily bag limit of 2 birds per hunter per day up to four birds per hunter during the entire season are being strictly enforced in the field through a system of spot-checks, which are conducted by field enforcement personnel.

The national quota is of 11,000 turtle doves and 5,000 quail.

Government has deployed independent observers manning 10 ornithological observation stations on any given day throughout the season, to assess the extent of migratory influx of turtle dove and quail over the Maltese islands.