The Migration Massacre
Its time to bring a problem that has been happening for so long back into the spot light after a level of complacence buried it. This is about a massacre of unacceptable proportions with unquestionable consequences. The inspiration for this post is down to Chris Packham and his renewed efforts to expose the truth behind this issue.
Malta has the highest density of hunters anywhere in Europe. it is thought that there are around 80 licensed hunters per square kilometre of huntable land. Hunting of this intensity comes at a predictable price to the birds hunted & has an averse effect on over 90% of the Maltese population who do not hunt. As stated before, this is not the first time this issue has come to light, in 2009 the European Court of Justice found Malta guilty of allowing hunting to take place in an utter disregard and breach of the Birds Directive. However, this fell on deaf ears as the government has continued to allow the travesty to continue from 2010, with the hunt being extended and restrictions relaxed on a yearly basis in a continued and clear defiance of the Birds Directive. It is a process that cannot continue because very soon, quite possibly in our lifetime, there will not be any birds left to hunt. Many of the species are in enough trouble without a hunt that a large proportion of Malta's population doesn't actually support. Responsibility lies with Maltese government and the illegal hunters & it is time to reapply the pressure before Europe loses a number of important bird species.
The 'Avian Decimation' section of text below is copied off of the 'Stop Spring Hunting on Malta' campaign page which is linked at the bottom. I read it and couldn't have put it in better terms myself. Please take the time to read it, it gives a bit of background to the situation, so please follow the source link and sign the petition. Also checkout Birdlife Malta for more information.
Avian Decimation
"Malta lies 100 kilometres south of Sicily and is a
popular destination for sun-seeking British holiday-makers and is
steeped in interesting cultural and natural history. It also lies on
the Central Mediterranean Flyway one of three migration
superhighways between Europe and Africa. Millions of birds migrate
along this route every year and the Maltese Islands are an important
resting place for birds making the long flight across the Mediterranean
- the final barrier before they reach mainland Europe.
On 12th April, in Malta, over 10,500 hunters
armed with shotguns and occupying large areas of public countryside
will begin one of Europe’s most shameful legalised slaughters of
threatened birds at the very time of year when they are making their way
north from Africa on their return migration to their breeding grounds
throughout Europe. This is the start of a three-week hunting season
during which countless thousands of migrating birds, many of them rare
and protected species, will be indiscriminately killed for sport thanks
to Malta continuing to undermine EU wildlife directives by being the
only country in the EU to open a recreational hunting season in spring.
Weeks before the arrival of Barn Swallows
signals the start of summer they can be seen in the Maltese Islands
along with nearly 100 other species. Unfortunately this spring about
10,500 hunters, that’s about 80 per square kilometre making it the
highest density of hunters anywhere in the world, are waiting for them.
In 2013 at least 24 species of protected birds were illegally shot
including Cuckoos, Marsh and Pallid Harriers, Kestrels, Ospreys, Purple
and Grey Herons, Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles and . . . Barn Swallows -
those very birds that should herald the arrival of our summer.
Unfortunately, Malta’s notorious reputation as
one of Europe’s worst black spots for illegal and unsustainable bird
killing is not undeserved. Since the 1960s, Malta has lost at least
three previously breeding bird species as a direct result of
persecution by hunters - including the Peregrine Falcon (famously known
as the Maltese Falcon).
Today, the spring hunting season in Malta is
one of the most controversial bird conservation issues in Europe.
Ostensibly, only two species - Turtle Dove and Quail - may be shot
during this spring hunting season, but in reality many more are
targeted under the cover of the legal season. Rare species are killed
and stuffed for illegal Victorian-style private collections,
undermining European conservation efforts, while many more common
migrants are just used for target practice with their killers not even
bothering to confirm their kills or collect the bird they have just
shot. Turtle Doves and Quail are themselves vulnerable and declining in
Europe, with the Turtle Dove - one of Europe’s most iconic birds, its
appearance and sound synonymous with the summer- on the verge of
extinction as a breeding bird in several European countries, including
the UK.
Every spring BirdLife Malta volunteers take
injured birds illegally shot during the spring hunting season to a vet
in the hope that their injuries are not too severe and they can be
treated and released, but only a relatively small number survive.
While the large majority of Maltese people
oppose spring hunting and want to see migrating birds properly
protected, successive Maltese governments have failed to bring illegal
bird killing under control and refused to stop unsustainable hunting in
spring. And since a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2009
found Malta guilty of violating the EU Birds Directive by allowing
spring hunting in 2004-2007, the European Commission appears to have
lost the will to take further action to stop Malta’s abuse of the
Birds Directive.
Stopping spring hunting would be a huge step
towards making Malta safe for Europe’s migrating birds and would even
help the chances of birds which try to breed on the islands. There is
new hope amongst Maltese and European conservationists that this might
be the last year Malta opens a spring hunting season. A petition
presented to Malta’s Electoral Commission last week and signed by more
than 44,000 Maltese voters, calls for a public referendum to stop
spring hunting in Malta and could finally put an end to decades of abuse
by removing the taking the decision away from politicians putting in
directly in the hands of the Maltese people. You can help make this the last spring hunting season in Malta
by supporting BirdLife Malta’s campaign to stop spring hunting."
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, Chris Packham is spearheading a new awareness campaign 'Malta massacre on migration' to help end the complacent attitudes of many, including the Maltese Government. He and a team of people will be posting daily videos to YouTube during the hunting season in an effort to bring forward the truth to people. Check out his website at the link below, for specific details. We, alongside the Maltese public can help put an end to this!
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Birdman.
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