Malta is
a stopping-off point for some 170 species of birds migrating between Europe and
Africa. But poachers kill or capture up to 200,000 wild birds every year — a
problem widespread across the Mediterranean.
In particular,
illegal trapping of birds such as finches continues to persist in Malta,
despite the European Court of Justice ruling against Malta for allowing the
trapping of protected species.
To
legalize finch trapping within the framework of European law, Malta used a
legal maneuver called a derogation by claiming that finch trapping was a
traditional practice in the country.
Such
legal derogations are being used as a smokescreen to illegally trap finches and
other protected species not just in Malta but in other countries as well.
Within a
day of arriving on the Mediterranean island of Malta on their southbound
migration last August, three of 18 white storks were shot and killed by
poachers.
Less than
two weeks later, just one of the birds was left alive. By Aug. 29, 19 days
since the flock arrived, all of the birds had disappeared.
Malta is
a stopping-off point for some 170 species of birds from at least 48 different countries migrating
between Europe and Africa. The vast majority of these birds, including white
storks (Ciconia ciconia) and black storks (Ciconia nigra), are strictly
protected under the European Union’s Birds Directive of 1972. But in Malta,
poachers kill or capture up to 200,000 wild birds every year: shooting them for
food, taxidermy or simply target practice, or trapping them to keep as pets or
live hunting decoys.
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