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Endangered falcon found shot near Żebbuġ, Gozo
BirdLife Malta noted that despite heavy fines for those caught hunting the species, these are clearly not enough to deter those who want to kill such birds
5 November 2025, 11:36am
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
1 min read
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Globally, the Saker Falcon is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 15,000 breeding pairs remaining
An endangered species of falcon has been found shot near Żebbuġ, Gozo, BirdLife Malta (BLM) said.
In a post on Facebook, BLM said that the Saker Falcon is one of the rarest species of falcons that are seen in Malta, with only a handful of birds recorded each autumn.
“Tragically, this rarity makes it a highly prized target for illegal taxidermy, which appears to have been the fate of a bird found shot Monday near Żebbuġ, Gozo.”
The falcon was seen with a maggot-infested wing fracture and could be nursed back to health.
“Globally, the Saker Falcon is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 15,000 breeding pairs remaining, and populations continuing to decline across Europe and Central Asia,” BLM said.
The NGO noted that despite heavy fines for those caught hunting the species, these are clearly not enough to deter those who want to kill such birds, adding that the incident puts Malta’s hunting in a negative light.
“We would much rather have it the other way around, but as long as politicians continue regurgitating familiar rhetoric, that hunting fines are too high or that enforcement is somehow sufficient, these situations will persist.”
Last May, government MPs Ramona Attard and Rosianne Cutajar backed calls for “fairer” penalties for illegal hunting.
Matthew Farrugia is a journalist at MaltaToday
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