Illegal bird trap dismantled in Gozo, 11 Turtle Doves found

‘Frustrated’ hunter ‘threatened to kill’ CABS member, no charges were pressed.

Turtle Doves in the the illegal cage trap found by CABS on Gozo
Turtle Doves in the the illegal cage trap found by CABS on Gozo

A “massive” illegal cage trap installation at Wied Ghasri in Gozo was dismantled by the police. The cage was used to trap turtle doves and 11 birds, recently caught, were found inside the cage.

The cage trap was spotted by members of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) who immediately alerted the offices. A joint AFM and ALE patrol deactivated the trap.

According to the birdwatchers, the trap was nearly eight cubic metres in size and the birds were confiscated by the authorities. The turtle doves have been taken to Malta for rehabilitation. They will be released at the end of the hunting season.

“The Turtle Dove is one of Europe’s most threatened farmland birds. It is extremely satisfying to know that these eleven birds will soon be flying in the wild again,” CABS team leader Craig Redmond said.

Early on Monday morning a CABS team filmed two young hunters hunting too close to a residential area in Xewkija, Gozo.

Both men have been identified by the police and will be taken to court.

In a separate incident on the same day, a CABS patrol car was blocked in by a hunter near Qala.

The hunter allegedly approached the birdwatchers, violently shouting and swearing and pushing a female CABS member from Scotland.

“The man then threatened to kill the team leader of the CABS patrol but luckily the group managed to escape from the situation. Shortly afterwards, the same hunter stopped the CABS members as they were driving in Nadur and again threatened to kill them, swearing at the team leader to ‘go back to his own country’, not only a violent death threat but also a racial slur,” CABS said.

Both incidents were reported to the Victoria police station whose officers identified and summoned the aggressor.

The hunter admitted to the charges and described himself as being “frustrated” because he did not manage to shoot a Turtle Dove that morning.

After the man had apologised to the CABS team, the birdwatchers abstained from pressing charges against him for the time being.

“We told him that if any of our team members on Gozo are attacked or harassed again he will have to stand trial. It is now in his own interest to convince his hunting friends to let us work in peace in ensuring that birds can continue safely on their migration,” Redmond said.

CABS also said a local birdwatcher confronted a hunter carrying a shotgun in the valley below Ta’ Gajdoru, in the Ramla Bay area, on Monday evening four hours after the 2pm curfew.

When the hunter realised that he was being watched he run off before the police arrived at the scene.