Malta’s only Peregrines shot by hunters

Maltese Falcon feared gunned down by poachers

July 2012. Bird-watchers and conservationists fear for the fate of a male Peregrine Falcon (also known as the Maltese Falcon) residing in Gozo, after an organised illegal hunting attempt from land and sea was witnessed at Ta' Cenc cliffs in Gozo.

During an evening boat trip attended by 120 BirdLife Malta members to watch rafting Cory's Shearwaters off Ta' Cenc, attendees were alerted by shots fired from the cliffs. Witnesses saw three men with a shotgun in a speedboat below Ta' Cenc cliffs who appeared to be coordinating with another two men on the cliffs, one of whom was also armed with a shotgun.

BirdLife members reported the illegal hunting incident to the Armed Forces of Malta, who arrived with a patrol boat within five minutes. The poachers fled the scene at great speed heading towards Xlendi as soon as the AFM vessel was seen approaching.

Mate ‘disappeared' in May
The targeted bird is one of a resident pair that had been seen regularly at Ta' Cenc until May of this year when the female of the pair was reportedly killed by illegal hunters. It is now feared that the male has also been killed.

The Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus brookei, became synonymous with Malta in 1530, when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ceded the islands to the Knights of St. John in exchange for one Maltese Falcon per year.

Regular breeder until killed by poachers in 1980s
The Peregrine Falcon was a regular breeder in Malta, until the last pair was killed by poachers in the 1980's. Since then Peregrine Falcons have only made sporadic appearances along the more remote cliffs of the Maltese Islands.

"When the incentive to kill a unique specimen like the Peregrine Falcon outweighs the penalties faced in court, poachers go to the extremes of organised crime. It is evident that the alleged efforts of the government to clamp down on illegal hunting are failing, with birds such as the Maltese Falcon being prevented from making a comeback due to illegal shooting," said Nicholas Barbara, BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/malta-peregrine.html#cr

Bird hunting threatens ecological balance

By Paojel Chaoba
IMPHAL, April 8: Indiscriminate hunting of local and migratory birds has disturbed the ecological balance in the forest areas of the state. One among the worst hit is said to be Tamenglong district.

At present, farmers are facing a tough time as orange trees and Parkia Timoriana, ‘yongchak’ trees which were thriving once at farms in the district have dried up.

“The production has gone down, earlier we used to fetch Rs 5000 from each yongchak tree and even more from oranges”, Ason Panmei, a troubled farmer told IFP.

Mention may be made that Tamenglong district is blessed with virgin forests, exotic orchids, rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The district occupies a total of 4,391 sq kms and has a population of 86,278.

The forests can be grouped as tropical ever-green forest, sub-tropical forest and bamboo brakes.

The dense tropical evergreen forests are located along both the sides of Irang and Barak rivers flowing in the district, varieties of ground flora, creepers, herbs and grasses are found here. The forests are rich in wildlife including wild pheasants, peafowl, jungle fowls are important birds of this area.

Further, during the month of October, migratory birds arrive at the forest area to feed and prepare for the next migration. During this time, hunters use fish nets and other wire traps to catch the birds.

Pellet cartridge and air rifles are also used to shoot the birds.

The birds are later sold at various small markets and mainly in Tamenglong headquarter market as live, smoked and fried forms and relished as a delicacy.

Professor Ranjan of Manipur University, a dedicated environmentalist told IFP that the main reason for the death of Yongchak and Orange plants can be attributed to certain factors.

He observed that the disturbance of the ecosystem is a main factor. “Birds from North China migrating to the state are slaughtered indiscriminately along with local birds, the insects which are on the food chain are left to multiply”. He stated that the pests which are eaten by birds are left undisturbed and left to drill the trunk of the trees thus causing death and decay.

It is stated by experts that the long horn beetle is one major pest for the fruit trees.

He further mentioned that the microwave frequency transmitted by mobile towers also influence bats. The bats which have temporary habitats on the Yongchak trees and feeds on insects and fruits are thus scattered.

Overall climate change due to deforestation is another main factor, he said.

He stated that for a sound eco system, people should have the nobility to stop over hunting of birds.

The district which boasted of having the highest concentration of bamboo growth has also been compromised due to the bamboo flowering (Mautam) in 2008 having an adverse effect to the economy of the district. As per records available, 13,879 families were affected by the bamboo flowering and the district is yet to fully recover.

It was also found out that the district Horticulture, Agriculture and Veterinary offices are presently lying in a state of defunct.

http://kanglaonline.com/2012/04/bird-hunting-threatens-ecological-balance/

2.8m birds slaughtered last year

AROUND 2.8 million birds were killed in 2011, this being the highest number since BirdLife Cyprus began monitoring five years ago, they said yesterday, describing it as an ‘ecological disaster.’

“Though these numbers are an estimate they show that bird trapping activity is getting completely out of control,” said Dr. Clairie Papazoglou, BirdLife’s executive director, adding that the competent authorities must re-double their efforts.

The figure is a result of BirdLife’s annual monitoring of illegal trapping.

According to their winter trapping report for 2011, trapping levels were similar to the previous winter season, with a slight decrease of eight per cent compared to winter 2010.

A total of 616 metres of net were found during the winter of 2011, suggesting that over 400,000 wintering birds could have been caught in mist nets islandwide.

Papazoglou explained that too many people are supporting this ‘indiscriminate slaughter’ by eating ‘ambelopoulia.’

Illegal bird trappers are usually after migratory birds passing through Cyprus in Spring and Autumn or after wintering birds, such as the Song Thrush. However the non-selectivity of limesticks and mist nets used to catch birds by poachers means that they catch a variety of species some of which are rare and protected. 

Papazoglou stressed that bird trapping nowadays is extensive and also run at industrial levels with huge profits to be made from selling the birds to restaurants.

BirdLife also called on authorities to implement the Larnaca Declaration that outlines the key tools to tackle poaching, including strengthening of enforcement, and the development of a public awareness campaign.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/birds/28m-birds-slaughtered-last-year/20120324 

Malta hunting committee ignoring science, conservation and the EU

BirdLife Malta calls for resignation of hunting regulatory committee chairman

March 2012. Malta - In a letter sent to the chairman of the Malta Ornis Committee, BirdLife Malta called for the resignation of Mr. Louis Cilia, following his surprise submission of a proposal for the opening of an extended spring hunting as well as a trapping season.

Only two days before today's scheduled meeting of the Ornis committee, Mr. Cilia sent his recommendations to the committee members, giving scant time for consideration of the document.

Lack of basic realization of the facts and understanding of conservation science
In its immediate reaction to Mr. Cilia's recommendations BirdLife Malta wrote, "You, as the Ornis Chairman, in your current capacity to draft recommendations for a spring hunting and trapping derogation in 2012, lack a basic realization of the facts and understanding of conservation science and EU legislation concerning the conservation of wild birds."

In his proposal Mr. Cilia recommends the opening of a spring hunting season, although to this date the Carnet De Chasse figures for last autumn have not yet been published. Under the government's legal notice 113 of 2011, which sets out the general framework for spring hunting, the opening of a spring hunting season for Turtle Dove and Quail is dependent on the number of birds of these species killed during the preceding autumn season.

Mr. Cilia, prior to the Carnet de Chasse numbers from autumn 2011 being made available, is also recommending the spring quota be set at the maximum allowable number for both species and the extension of the season by three days compared to 2011. In addition he proposes the complete removal of any daily bag limits previously established as a strict supervision condition.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/malta-hunt-eu.html

Environment: migratory birds, ecological disaster in Cyprus

2.8 million birds killed or captured illegally in 2011

(ANSAmed) - NICOSIA - Deaf to appeals by local, international and EU ecologists, the Cypriot authorities are continuing to play a role in a serious environmental disaster. Last year, in the southern part of the island, 2.8 million migratory birds, many of them belonging to rare and protected species, were illegally captured and killed.

The slaughter of biblical proportions (last year's death toll was an estimated 1.4 million) has once again been condemned by the Cypriot environmentalist group BirdLifeCyprus, which has just published its latest report on the situation, which says that those mainly responsible for the killings are not only hunters but also poachers, with an illegal market now accounting for millions of euros per year. There is a merciless hunt for small migratory birds - mainly blackcaps, chaffinches, zitting cisticolas and hoopoes - which are illegally captured and then served as delicacies in restaurants on the island at a cost of 80 euros for a plate of 12. During the winter, hunters especially kill thrushes and robins, while summer is the season in which migratory birds are targeted. In Cyprus, where the birds pass between March and April and between August and October, their capture is forbidden by law but widely tolerated by the local authorities. Poachers are therefore able to act untroubled using wide nets with thin meshing spread among the trees or sticks infused with gluey substances hidden in bushes. The method causes the slow death of the trapped bird from hunger and thirst, and its use has increased by 300% compared to last year, a figure that suggests that poachers are far from dissuaded by potential legal penalties.

In July of last year, a major European conference on bird poaching was held in the city of Larnaca, the first time that Cyprus had staged such an event. The conference was attended by over 100 experts from a range of European countries, who underlined the need for a "zero tolerance" approach towards poaching and called on all of the competent European and local authorities to act to put an end to the slaughter. "Unfortunately, 2011 figures paint a picture that completely contradicts the decisions taken in the conference and measures must be adopted immediately to stop the illegal capture of the birds," said a Birdlife spokesperson.

In a joint statement from Germany, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and the Cypriot section of Friends of the Earth (FOE) have announce that volunteers have found 3,817 traps in only 2 weeks, as well as 23 nets with invisible meshing and 32 electronic decoys in the island's south-eastern Famagusta area alone, which has one of the highest concentration of bird passage. "This is in stark contrast with the relatively weak efforts of the police in this critical area, where pressure on migratory birds through illegal capture is at its highest," say CABS and FOE.

The local hunting organisation and the anti-poaching division of the Cypriot police have significantly stepped up their efforts to tackle the illegal capture of birds, the two organisations say. The report by Birdlife, however, clearly shows that the efforts made by the authorities to tackle poaching in the eastern area of Larnaca, which includes the British military base in Dekelia and the Famagusta area, are significantly weaker than in other affected areas. "The only conclusion can be that political reasons have a role in this," say the CABS and the FOE, adding that this is why practical cooperation on the ground with police is very limited. "This is disappointing, as closer cooperation would have led to the seizure of a greater number of traps and more trials against poachers, and would have discouraged physical attacks on environmentalists searching for traps and nets across the island," the organisations say. (ANSAmed).

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/cyprus/2012/03/01/visualizza_new.html_126300816.html 

Vigil saves rare birds

Poachers find paradise at Gangetic sandbar in Bhagalpur

GAUTAM SARKAR

Bhagalpur, Feb. 19: The administration has stepped up vigil against poachers to save migratory birds at the eco-friendly Gangetic diara in the district. The diara (sandbar) is considered a green belt and was in the news recently when the residents of Dharhara, a village in the riverine area, decided to celebrate the birth of a girl by planting saplings. But there are places in the Naugachia sub-division where many people earn their livelihood by catching and selling migratory birds. These areas fall in the 63km-stretch between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon. The administration’s bid to check poaching paid off on Saturday when a team of Naugachia sub-division officials caught six poachers and found 48 migratory birds on them. “I had asked my officials to step up the vigil on such illegal activities. I had also told them not to divulge our plan to anybody,” district magistrate Narmadeshwar Lal said. He said the officials posed as prospective buyers and approached some poachers at Birbanna village under Narayanpur block. Though the poachers demanded Rs 1,600 for a pair of birds, they finally agreed to sell them for Rs 1,000. Naugachia sub-divisional officer Sushil Kumar said: “They handed me 48 birds that they had caught. It was then that the officials arrested the six poachers.” Indian Bird Conservation Network and Wetlands International State co-ordinator Arvind Mishra said all the birds recovered were protected under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120220/jsp/bihar/story_15154335.jsp

CABS video shows Maltese shooting rare birds in Egypt

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has called for an end to   uncontrolled hunting tourism.

It  uploaded video footage taken a few years ago showing a group of Maltese hunters shooting protected birds on Lake Nasser, Egypt and said it was backing Egyptian conservationists who wanted to put an end to this 'crazy' practice.

The film shows birds, including numerous Pelicans, Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis, Egyptian Vultures as well as an Osprey, a Lanner Falcon and a Bonelli’s Eagle being shot - accompanied by cheering and laughter as the birds are hauled into the hunters’ boat.

The footage was taken by the hunters themselves and handed anonymously to CABS and its Maltese partner organisation International Animal Rescue Malta.  

CABS said it will send a team to Egypt during the next hunting season to monitor important rest areas around Lake Nasser for migrant birds on passage. “As on Malta we will work closely with local ornithologists and law enforcement agencies” states CABS spokesperson Axel Hirschfeld.

 In order to protect the identity of the hunters and their local guides the faces of the hunters have been blurred and their voices edited.

The footage can be seen at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34GPawd-Hu0&list=UUUkFKi7SBhwgh1dn7YOEu-w&index=1&feature=plcp

http://www.anhourago.eu/show.aspx?l=57166421&d=504

Maltese hunters arrested for killing birds in UK

Maltese poachers caught at customs with protected birds from the UK

December 2011. BirdLife Malta has revealed that five protected birds were confiscated at Maltese customs in the possession of three individuals who arrived on a flight from Scotland on 28th November. Two Common Buzzards, two Oystercatchers and a Shelduck were found hidden inside the carcasses of legal game species. All three of these species are protected under UK, Maltese and EU law. The three men will appear in court in early 2012.


Maltese hunters travelling abroad - Inadequate penalties
Hunting trips abroad are popular with Maltese hunters. There have been other cases of smuggling of protected birds into Malta in the past. One of the biggest cases was a collection found in the possession of three individuals in 2001, returning from a trip to Egypt with 104 bodies of protected species. This haul included 5 White Pelicans, 11 Spoonbills, 12 White Stork, 9 Glossy Ibis, 20 Flamingo, 8 Egyptian Vultures, 1 Steppe Eagle, 5 Black Kites, 5 Osprey and 2 Lanner Falcons. At the time, the collection was estimated to be worth €13,780.
In this case and many others, the penalties given at Maltese courts often do not reflect the seriousness of these wildlife crimes. These individuals were charged a mere €1000 each. In investigating this recent case, BirdLife has also learnt of two individuals who appeared in court this October, also returning from the UK, one in possession of a Cormorant and the other a Green Woodpecker. These individuals received only a €240 fine each.
BirdLife Malta Conservation Officer Nicholas Barbara said: "Maltese poachers have tarnished the reputation of Malta with their annual slaughter of migratory birds for many years. They are now travelling to other countries to shoot down protected species and then attempting to smuggle them to Malta, probably to display in their collections."
"Our British partners the RSPB and other conservationists in Europe are eager to see the outcome of this latest court case. We hope that the Courts will apply hefty fines that can act as a deterrent to avoid similar crimes in future" concluded Barbara.

For more information on BirdLife Malta, please visit www.birdlifemalta.org

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/malta-bird-arrest.html