Welcome to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)

New and important protest campaign - Say NO to extension of the hunting season in Italy (03.02.10)

The government headed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi plans a drastic extension of the hunting season in Italy. Instead of the present four months the hunters in the Apennine Peninsula are to be permitted to hunt birds for seven months of the year. Species particularly affected are Turtle Dove, Quail and thrushes. All the leading Italian nature and wildlife organisations have started a joint protest campaign against this renewed attempt to water down hunting legislation. Do your bit and join in!

You can find more information and prepared online mails to three influential ministers in Berlusconi’s government here »»

Online protest against spring hunting on Malta (25.01.2010)

It would appear that the Maltese government may permit the resumption of spring hunting, at least for the 2010 season. This is an extraordinary move considering the judgement by the European Court of Justice in September 2009, which found the island state guilty of contravening European Union law in this respect.

Officially only Turtle Dove and Common Quail may be hunted but, as in the past, a lifting of the ban on spring hinting of these species will open the door to illegal hunting of protected bird species on pre-nuptial migration such as birds of prey, Golden Oriole, Bee-eater and many others.

Our partner organisation, BirdLife Malta, has initiated an online protest campaign targeting the Maltese Prime Minister. We call on all our members, friends and supporters to join the cause.

The BirdLife online petition can be signed here »»

"Der Falke" reports on CABS operations on Malta (30.12.09)

Poaching in the Mediterranean is sadly a long-running issue in the Mediterranean. The German birding magazine 'Der Falke' (The Falcon) has devoted the greater part of its very readable January 2010 issue to this subject. Themes include the trapping of Ortolan Buntings to satisfy French gourmets as well as the effects of the spring hunting ban on Malta. In a well-illustrated six page article our colleagues David Conlin und Axel Hirschfeld report on the results of the CABS bird protection camps in 2009 (The article is in German).

'Der Falke' magazine is available in most good newsagents in Germany, or can be ordered direct from the Aula-Verlag.

A small consolation for English-speaking readers. The December issue of the BirdLife Malta magazine ‘Bird’s Eye View also devotes most of its space to illegal hunting on Malta. It can be ordered from BirdLife Malta.

The magazine includes a short profile on CABS which you can read here >>

We have moved! (01.01.10)

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter has grown out of its old office where it has been for many years. Now we have moved to somewhat more roomy quarters.
From 1 January 2010 our new address is:

Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e.V.
An der Ziegelei 8
53127 Bonn

Our telephone and telefax numbers are unchanged.

Review of activities 2009 – CABS presents its annual report (21.12.2009)

In 2009 more than 180 nature and animal lovers from all over Europe (and beyond) participated in Committee operations in France, Germany, Italy, on Cyprus and Malta and located and destroyed more than 20,000 bird traps and nets. In court cases brought by us in Italy we have prevented the trapping and hunting of tens of thousands of birds and our successful lobbying in Brussels has ensured that the legalisation of trapping with lime sticks in Spain has been stalled.

Read the full report here »»

CABS operational schedule 2010

The provisional timetable for events and operations in 2010 has now been published and circulated to members.

Once again our efforts will be primarily concentrated on - but not confined to - anti-poaching operations on Cyprus and Malta and iun Italy


For dates and locations see the timetable here »»

Sardinia: the bird protection camp ends - 11,310 snares collected (13.12.09)

A bird protection camp run by our Italian partner organisation LAC took place on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia from 5 to 13 December 2009. The 13 participants searched for and dismantled horsehair snares illegally set out in the mountains north of Cagliari, used to trap countless thrushes Robins and other song birds.

This was the second camp this year on Sardinia and the activists found and dismantled 11,310 snares. The operation was financed by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter.

Our online diary, with daily information on the operation, is here »»

Italy - a topical TV documentary on bird trapping in Brescia (09.12.09)

On 8 December 2009 the Italian TV programme “Striscia - la notizia” broadcast a programme on bird trapping and operations by CABS in Brescia in northern Italy. The daily satirical programme is a favourite in Italy. “Striscia” is one of the last independent and critical TV programmes in Italy, which is otherwise dominated by Berlusconi’s media empire.

The film, in Italian, can be seen online here »»

Successful protest campaign in Spain - trapping installations remain closed (03.12.09)

Although the regional parliament in Valencia decided in September 2009 to permit once again bird trapping with lime sticks on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, the installations will not be activated for the time being. This is because the pressure caused by the protest campaign organised by CABS and local environmentalists was so effective that the local authorities have refused to issues the necessary individual licences.

Indeed, at the end of November the Valencian government instructed the responsible authorities to prosecute offenders. We must ensure that the situation remains so and we will initiate new protest and monitoring measures in 2010.

Read more here »»

Help us to help the birds (01.12.2009)

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) is the only organisation in Europe specialising in field operations to combat bird poaching and trapping throughout the European Union. In the course of our annual bird protection camps we locate and remove many more than 20,000 bird traps and nets. We also fight in the courts against the illegal authorisation of hunting in contravention of EU legislation and, in campaigns and by lobbying, strive for better protection of migrant birds.

YOU can help us too - become a sponsor member of CABS today!

More information and membership application form here »»

Too many membership commitments? Even a one-off sum is of great importance and helps to fund our operations, campaigns or treatment of injured birds. Support our vital operations by a donation by bank transfer or credit card.

Hawfinch hunting - EU initiates process against Italy (23.11.09)

The European Commission has now reacted to the removal of restrictions on hunting of strictly protected birds in the Lombardy, Tuscany and Veneto regions. Italy will now have to answer to the European Court of Justice for permitting the hunting of Chaffinches, Bramblings, Meadow Pipits and Hawfinches.

In Lombardy alone, permission to hunt 497,350 Chaffinches, 94,600 Bramblings, 50,000 Meadow Pipits and 32,000 Hawfinches was granted!

Read on here »»

Final Report - CABS 23rd Bird Protection camp in Northern Italy (24.11.09)

The final report on the CABS 23rd bird protection camp in Brescia, Northern Italy is now complete. Some 63 bird conservationists from all over Europe carried out operations in the Southern Alps from 4. October to 1. November 2009. They located and dismantled more than 2,500 bird traps and 167 mist nets. Information provided to the police by CABs led to the arrest of 42 poachers.

In addition to presenting the results of this years camp, the reportz also contains comprehensive background information on hunting and poaching in Brescia.

The full report can be read online or downloaded as a PDF file here »»

MALTA: Final Autumn Camp Report (05.11.09)

In the course of the 3 week operation a total of 486 cases of illegal hunting were recorded. These included 23 directly observed shooting down of birds of prey, some of which were captured on video. In addition 24 observations or finds of protected birds, with what were evidently shot gun injuries, were registered. Four cases of illegal wader species trapping and the discovery of one illegal cage trap containing a dozen freshly-caught Turtle Doves were also recorded. In the course of nightly mapping of illegal electronic bird lures, used by hunters and trappers to lure birds to their nets or shooting hides, 119 ‘bird callers’ were located. Between 15 and 30 September CABS teams registered a total of 286 shots after the afternoon hunting curfew imposed by the government.

The final report from the CABS autumn migration camp is now online and available for download here

Video clips of CABS operations on YouTube

Since summer 2008 CABS has published video clips from its operations on Malta and in Italy on the online portal YouTube.

A new film of our work on Cyprus is here »»
Video clips of our Malta bird protection camps are here »»
A film on our operations in Italy is here »»
Two video clips on bird trapping in France are here »»