Tuesday, September 13, 2016,
12:21
BirdLife slams government as
lacking 'moral value or strength'
Updated 4.55pm - BirdLife reacts
to government rebuffal
BirdLife Malta has called on the
Prime Minister to suspend the autumn hunting season with immediate effect after
two protected black storks were illegally shot dead yesterday.
The NGO's request was rebuffed
within hours by the government, which in a statement issued by the
parliamentary secretariat for animal rights said that it would only consider
such requests if they were made by its Ornis Committee.
BirdLife's request came after two
black storks (Ċikonja Sewda) were shot while flying over Gozo yesterday.
One was instantly killed and picked up by a hunter, while the other made it to
Malta and joined three White Storks (Ċikonja Bajda) before succumbing to its
injuries.
The carcass of the second stork
was handed to police, while BirdLife officials have handed details of the
hunter who recouped the first bird to authorities, the organisation said.
Another White Stork seen earlier
in Gozo also appeared to have been injured, and the NGO said it was also
investigating claims that a Honey Buzzard had been shot down over Ħal Far this
morning.
In its original statement,
BirdLife argued that "illegal hunting in Malta is yet uncontrolled"
and that closing the hunting season until October 15 would give protected birds
such as the storks a safe passage as they migrate south.
"This would not be a
collective punishment but a method of safeguarding the birds," the
organisation argued, saying that if fines did not protect birds, "more
drastic measures would be expected."
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