BirdLife Malta has published its video summary of the illegalities witnessed during the 2021 spring hunting season.
This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we could not welcome international volunteers to help us monitor the season but in spite of this, with just an average of two small teams out in the field every morning, rampant hunting illegalities were observed across the areas covered in Malta and Gozo. As widely anticipated, the smokescreen hunting season supposedly open only for Common Quail – which purposely coincided with the peak migration of the protected European Turtle-dove – had once again the vulnerable turtle-dove as its main target.
After the action announced by the hunting lobby in the past days, following the publication of this video the hunting lobby’s defense will probably once again be to try to have the general public believe that the observation of these illegalities constitutes some kind of invasion into the hunters’ “rights” to enjoy their privacy or property, conveniently ignoring the fact that every episode in this video amounts to illegal hunting, with hunters seen stationary in their hides waiting for incoming turtle-doves (not one single hunter was seen trying to flush a quail, which was the only legally huntable species this spring), or blatantly and deliberately shooting on turtle-doves and other protected species. BirdLife Malta would like to make it clear that all footage in this video was filmed from public spaces, clearly demonstrating acts which are in breach of the law and which we expect to be brought to justice.
Illegalities, particularly relating to the illegal killing of turtle-doves were detected on a daily basis during the season. BirdLife Malta and police also recovered a number of illegally shot turtle-doves suffering from various gunshot injuries. This video will now be presented to the European Commission as part of the evidence of how Malta’s derogation for the hunting of Common Quail in spring has once again been used to allow hunters to target the protected European Turtle-dove. In view of the fresh infringement procedures initiated by the European Union against Malta in December 2020 over concerns that last year’s season coincided with peak migration of turtle-dove, opening this year’s season during the same period (10th-30th April) will leave the European Commission no other option than to take Malta to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) since it has failed to show how it is protecting the turtle-dove from extinction. Maltese version below.
L-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa 2021 – rendikont tal-illegalitajiet
BirdLife Malta xandret video li jiġbor l-illegalitajiet osservati matul l-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa 2021.
Din is-sena, minħabba r-restrizzjonijiet tal-COVID-19, ma stajniex nilqgħu voluntieri internazzjonali biex jassistuna fis-sorveljanza tal-istaġun imma minkejja f’dan, b’medja ta’ żewġ timijiet żgħar kull filgħodu fil-kampanja, xorta stajna ninnutaw illegalitajiet rampanti tal-kaċċa qed jitwettqu fil-postijiet li koprejna madwar Malta u Għawdex. Kif konna qed nantiċipaw, l-istaġun paraventu tal-kaċċa li suppost kien miftuħ biss għas-Summiena – u li tfassal b’mod biex jaħbat apposta mal-qofol tal-passa tal-Gamiema, speċi protetta – reġa’ kellu l-Gamiema bħala l-mira prinċipali tiegħu.
Fid-dawl tal-azzjonijiet li ħabbru l-għaqdiet tal-kaċċaturi fl-aħħar jiem, wisq probabbli wara l-pubblikazzjoni ta’ dawn il-filmati d-difiża tal-lobby tal-kaċċaturi se tkun li jippruvaw ibellgħuha lill-pubbliku li l-osservazzjoni ta’ dawn l-illegalitajiet tista’ b’xi mod tammonta għal invażjoni tad-“drittijiet” tal-kaċċaturi li jgawdu l-privatezza jew il-proprjetà, waqt li konvenjentement jinjoraw il-fatt li kull episodju f’dan il-video mhu xejn ħlief kaċċa illegali. Il-filmati fil-fatt juru kaċċaturi li ġew osservati bilqiegħda fid-dura tagħhom jistennew li tgħaddi xi Gamiema (ma rajniex imqar kaċċatur wieħed jipprova jikkaċċja għas-Summien, li kienet l-unika speċi kaċċabbli din ir-rebbiegħa), jew kaċċaturi jisparaw bla mistħija ta’ xejn fuq il-Gamiem u tajr ieħor protett. BirdLife Malta tagħmilha ċara li l-filmati kollha f’dan il-video nġibdu minn spazji pubbliċi, u juru b’mod ċar atti li jammontaw għal ksur tal-liġi, atti li nistennew li jitressqu quddiem il-ġustizzja.
Għadd ta’ illegalitajiet, b’mod partikolari marbutin mal-qtil illegali tal-Gamiem, kienu osservati kuljum tul l-istaġun. BirdLife Malta u l-pulizija rċivew ukoll numru ta’ Gamiem ferut b’tiri ta’ senter. Dan il-video issa se jiġi ppreżentat lill-Kummissjoni Ewropea bħala parti mill-evidenza li turi kif id-deroga li tapplika Malta għall-kaċċa tas-Summien fir-rebbiegħa reġgħet għal darba oħra ntużat biex il-kaċċaturi jitħallew jikkaċċjaw għall-Gamiema, minkejja li hija speċi fil-periklu. Fid-dawl tal-proċeduri ġodda ta’ ksur li fetħet l-Unjoni Ewropea kontra Malta f’Diċembru 2020 minħabba li l-istaġun tas-sena l-oħra ħabat mal-qofol tal-passa tal-Gamiema, il-ftuħ tal-istaġun ta’ din is-sena fl-istess dati (10-30 ta’ April) ma jħalli l-ebda għażla lill-Kummissjoni Ewropea ħlief li tieħu lil Malta quddiem il-Qorti Ewropea tal-Ġustizzja (ECJ) minħabba li naqset li turi kif qed tħares il-Gamiema mill-estinzjoni.