Pascal Aloisio of Alternattiva Demokratika Zghazagh has written about spring hunting and its effect on birds of all species, saying “despite the continuous decline of European Turtle Dove and Quail populations, thousands of birds are still hunted each year in our country, both in autumn and spring. Although hunting in autumn does not represent a major concern for these species, spring hunting does.”
“Hunting these birds in spring while they’re on their way to their breeding grounds to reproduce will result in not only killing the individual birds but of course their offspring. Furthermore, a bird will reproduce every year, say for at least 5 years and hence the number of unborn chicks is multiplied. This results in the destruction of a whole generation and hence a decline in population,” said Pascal.
“The European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) may be legally hunted in autumn in 8 EU countries, including Malta.” Pascal pointed out that “an estimated two to four million birds are shot yearly. However, Malta is the only country in the EU which applies for a derogation to hunt this species in spring.”
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