New autumn hunting regulations aimed at appeasing the hunting lobby – BirdLife

Reacting to government announcement of the 2014 autumn hunting season, BirdLife Malta described the amendments to Malta’s bird conservation laws as "another move to appease the hunting lobby at the expense of rare and protected birds of prey."

BirdLife said the amendments enacted earlier in July set permanently the dates of the autumn hunting season and permanently revoked a 3pm curfew.

Yesterday, government announced the opening of the autumn hunting season starting on 1 September and closing on 31 January. The hunting of birds on land shall be permitted between two hours before sunrise and two hours after sunset on any day between Monday and Saturday, and between two hours before sunrise and 1pm on Sundays and Public Holidays.

BirdLife said that since 2007, a 3pm curfew between 15 September and 30 September  had been enforced to protect migrating birds of prey as they came in to roost.

“Having completed their breeding season in Europe, birds of prey typically arrive in their masses during this period as they make their way south to winter in Africa. Birds arriving late during the day scour the Maltese countryside flying low in search of suitable roosting sites, making them easy targets.”

However, in 2013, this curfew was moved by 4 hours to 7pm despite opposition raised by BirdLife Malta over the inefficacy of the measure.

BirdLife pointed out that a scientific study carried at Buskett in 1998, had shown that the majority of birds of prey, especially Honey Buzzards and Marsh Harriers, roost well before 7pm, with birds settling into vegetation as early as 3pm.

The results of this study were the reason for a curfew from 3pm onwards, with the aim of providing some safety to these birds from illegal hunting. 

BirdLife’s Raptor Camp in 2013 recorded 54.5% of shooting at protected species occurring after 3pm, however government claimed that in 2013 there was a reduction in cases after 3pm and no cases were prosecuted by police for illegal hunting after 7pm.

Reacting to parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes’ statement that 2013 autumn enforcement statistics showed that enforcement measures have worked, BirdLife’s Conservation Manager Nicholas Barbara said “the fact that police did not convict anyone of illegal hunting after 7pm does not mean that illegal hunting did not occur - it just highlights the burden placed on the police to enforce a curfew in the dark.”

BirdLife also criticised the way in which the government has permanently removed the 3pm curfew and fixed it at 7pm.

“This was not recommended by Ornis but has been done on the recommendation of the government’s Wild Birds Regulation Unit, whose representative sits on the same Committee.”

Barbara added that the unit’s representative “takes matters ahead to government totally bypassing the Ornis Committee, making the purpose of this Committee increasingly pointless.”

BirdLife announced that once again it would be organising its annual Raptor Camp, focusing on the peak migration of birds of prey. The camp involves the participation of volunteers who seek to assist enforcement authorities in tackling the illegal targeting of birds of prey.