No prosecution for illegal turtle dove hunting last year, BirdLife Malta says

Not one individual has been prosecuted for killing turtle doves during last year’s spring hunting season, BirdLife Malta said.

The NGO said the information emerged during an Ornis Committee meeting on Wednesday, held a week before the opening of the spring hunting season where senior police officials were invited to discuss enforcement plans.

BirdLife said no individuals were prosecuted despite having provided the police with concrete evidence of illegal hunting last year. One case, in particular, the group said, involved an FKNK official who was filmed in Miżieb gunning down a turtle dove during last year’s quail hunting season.

"Twelve months after the incident, not a single hunter faced prosecution, meaning that these same individuals would be eligible to hunt again this spring, without facing any penalties," the statement read.

The spring hunting season for quail only opens on 10 April and will last until 30 April

The group had previously protested against the opening of a spring hunting season for quail, arguing that it would just allow for the illegal killing of the red-listed turtle dove. BirdLife Malta said that the derogation allowing spring hunting between 10 and 30 April could only be justified to the European Union if it followed a strict number of criteria, including that of enforcement. It said as a result Maltese authorities are obliged to field seven police officers per 1,000 hunters.

“With 7,647 applications for spring hunting licences, this makes this year’s requirement a total of 54 officers at any one time. While on paper these figures would be reported as a given, their effectiveness is very limited.”

The NGO said the government’s reluctance on the matter follows a record-breaking year, with BirdLife Malta having received 114 known illegally shot protected birds last year alone.  

“Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has deliberately opted to open a spring hunting season during the peak migration of turtle dove, ignoring the value given to this bird across the EU, at a time when the European Commission is asking countries to protect it. This is disappointing coming from a Prime Minister that has acquired praise across the EU for his bold approaches in various areas, yet keeps Malta from abiding truly to the values of the EU Birds Directive, 40 years after EU member states adopted this,” BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana said.

In March BirdLife had reported that three protected birds were shot over just one weekend.