Sunday, September 8, 2002
< Honey-buzzards shot over Buskett >
Flocks of migrating honey buzzards and marsh harriers converging on Buskett
in
the past two days were met with volleys of shotgun pellets from hunters
breaking
the law.
This autumn, birds started migrating earlier than usual, probably due to
recent
bad weather in Europe. Migration is now in full swing and many birds passing
over Malta converge on Buskett, which has been a bird sanctuary for decades.
On Thursday, a flock of 26 honey-buzzards coming in to roost were met with a
barrage of shots and at least five of the birds were shot down in minutes,
BirdLife Malta (BLM) said yesterday. Only three birds actually landed in the
trees - the rest were finished off in the surrounding areas.
"The Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) only showed up in the last half
hour
of daylight, having been stretched to its limits checking out reports of
illegal
hunting in various other places. They arrived at Buskett just in time to
have
their car peppered with spent lead shot from one of the final barrages of
the
day," BLM said in a statement, describing the situation as intolerable.
"BirdLife Malta has been campaigning for decades to expose the illegal
hunting
problem, and despite the fact that this may seem insurmountable, the
solution
lies with effective law enforcement. The setting up of Environment Wardens
should achieve for nature protection what Local Council Wardens achieved in
the
enforcement of Traffic Regulations. BLM has been requesting such a unit
since
1980.
"In consideration of the chronic apathy that BirdLife Malta comes up
against, it
is evident that there is little interest to solve the hunting problem. For
all
the promises and boards set up to 'monitor' and 'crack down' on illegal
hunting,
it is obvious these were little more than short-lived cosmetic moves, and
there
is no real motivation to improve matters," it said.
Alternattiva Demokratika - the Green Party also issued a statement, on the
occasion of the start of the hunting season, demanding concrete action
against
widespread illegal hunting. AD also called for the strengthening of law
enforcement mechanisms to stop the massacre. It is also demanded the
immediate
demolition of all illegal structures built by hunters and trappers.
"Hunters and trappers should not be allowed to occupy the countryside. The
recent destruction of garigue in il-Qortin tal-Magun in Gozo is a case in
point," AD spokesman for the environment Mark Causon said.
"Unfortunately the government is spineless when facing trigger-happy hunters
who
hold the entire country to ransom with their vote."
___________________________________________
This article may also be viewed at
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=108287
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