Hunter shoots rare bird despite police presence
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One hunter arraigned by the ALE and admitted shooting the Egret
Six Great White Egrets (1) that landed in Salina Bird Sanctuary late afternoon on Thursday, were the target of poachers who shot one of the protected birds despite the presence of three police units and BirdLife members.
The conservation organisation explained that a BirdLife team was sent to the Salina Bird Sanctuary and the ALE was immediately informed about the presence of these rare visitors as the organisation feared that they would be targeted by the poachers.
“Shortly after we arrived at the Bird Sanctuary, we saw some hunters, gathering and observing the Great White Egrets resting in the salt pans.” explained Dr. Andre Raine, BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager. “Just after 18:30 the flock was spooked by gunfire on the opposite ridge and took off, gaining height over the fields to the south of the salt pans. As the birds flew over the fields, a hunter fired four shots at them. One of the protected birds dropped from the flock and fell towards the ground, struggling to remain in the air before disappearing from sight. This happened despite the presence of three ALE units in the area.”
The ALE units that were in the area of the incident apprehended a hunter who was searching the fields shortly after the shooting. A witness had seen him firing on the protected birds, and under examination the hunter confessed to his crime. He was arrested and taken away by the police.
The BirdLife team remained in the area until the morning to ensure that the birds would not be targeted again when they returned to the salt pants to rest.
“This latest incident once again proves that the protected birds in Malta are not safe even if they are in a Bird Sanctuary and are closely monitored by the police or conservationists. This shows how ridiculous the situation in Malta is. In my career, I have never seen poachers being so blunt in their crimes, even in some of the African countries that I worked in the past where poaching was a serious problem. Their confidence is probably fed by their view that if they get caught they will get away with a few hundred euros fine and then go back to killing as usual.” charged Dr. Raine.
BirdLife urged the government to increase the fines and cancel the permits for the repeat offenders. A Wildlife Crime Unit should also be set up that can operate all year round to safeguard Malta’s natural environment BirdLife insisted.
Photo above: Archive photo of Great White Egret in Malta. Photo by Ray Galea.
Note: 1) Great White Egrets are given additional legal protection under Annex 1 of the Birds Directive. It is a scarce visitor to Malta, mainly in autumn, and normally only in singles or doubles. A flock of 6 is a very rare occurrence in the Maltese islands.
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