WATCH: CABS & police take action against bird poachers in Malta
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The Commitee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has released a clip from our spring anti-poaching operations in Malta in March 2024. The short sequence shows the environmental police officers arresting several bird trappers after our experts discovered and documented their illegal trapping sites.
The largest case so far occurred in the small town of Siggiewi, where police officers found three nets and a huge collection of 107 live birds on March 19. Dotterels, Golden plovers, numerous songbirds, including red-throated pipits, ortolan buntings, short-toed larks and various buntings - including a rare rustic bunting - were confiscated.
Watch now our new YouTube video here.
CABS car destroyed by hunters in Zakynthos.
24.04.2024
Although we’ve not reported until now on details of our current bird protection camp on the Greek island of Zakynthos, our teams have had their hands full with a raft of cases and intimidation from hunters on the island who are out in force in the countryside illegally shooting protected migratory birds such as turtle doves, swifts, cuckoos and orioles during closed season as they attempt to return to their breeding grounds. Dozens of hunters have been reported to the authorities and four people have been convicted. Our teams have also faced numerous incidents of verbal abuse and harassment. At around 02:30am this morning loud smashes were heard by CABS teams before a moped sped off. Upon closer inspection of our rental car, all windows, headlights and rear-view mirrors had been shattered. While no one was injured during the incident, the damage sustained to the sum of 3000€ has left the vehicle unusable.
Read our full press release from today here.
Higher fines are a key factor to reducing bird trapping in Cyprus.
22.04.2024
In recent weeks, teams of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) on Cyprus have monitored known bird trapping areas in the districts of Larnaca and Famagusta. Despite an intensive search, only eleven active trapping sites were found, with a total of 57 limesticks primarily placed on fruit trees. Two bird trappers were caught by CABS teams, together with the Game and Fauna Service and Cypriot Police. According to the national law 152 (I) of 2003 on the protection and management of wild birds and game, the men should now face a hefty fine of around 9200€ for illegally trapping birds in spring. CABS are calling on the Cypriot government to enforce similar penalties throughout the year.
Read our full press release from today here.
Protecting raptor roosts in Malta and Gozo.
17.04.2024
In recent days, the weather and strong north-westerly winds have held back many migratory birds attempting to bridge the central Mediterranean flyway towards their breeding grounds. However, yesterday evening, following a storm system skirting the east of the Maltese archipelago, large numbers of protected Marsh and Montagu harriers began to arrive in droves – just in advance of the controversial opening of the hunting season for turtle doves today. CABS teams scrambled to monitor various roosting sites, some with >60 birds taking refuge in the lowland cereal fields of Malta and Gozo. Unfortunately, several marsh harriers were confirmed to have visible wing plumage and leg damage conducive with gunshot injuries – however, where these injuries were sustained is another question. Today our teams safeguarded their passage without incident.
German Ambassador visited our bird protection camp in Malta
10.04.2024
This morning - the first day of the controversial spring hunting season in Malta - CABS staff and volunteers met with a delegation from the German Embassy Valletta. During a walk along the Dwejra Lines, Ambassador Tanja Beyer got a feel for the work of our 'Bird Guards' and discussed the current situation with regards to migratory bird protection and poaching on the Mediterranean island, including the continued persecution of protected birds of prey, as well as the mass trapping of songbirds in spring. Other topics included the ongoing proceedings against Malta before the European Court of Justice for violation of the EU Birds Directive and the results of our ongoing operations, in which a total of 34 poachers have been convicted since March and more than 300 live birds have been confiscated by the police.
Combating bird trapping on Ischia.
09.04.2024
The Italian holiday island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples used to be one of the major hotspots of poaching in the Mediterranean. CABS and our partner organisations have been working here since 1993 - with success, as the number of illegal bird traps and shooting of protected species has fallen dramatically. And yet there are still people who can't let it go: During our current operation, CABS staff caught a poacher with 7 snap traps in the picturesque village of Barano d'Ischia. He had installed a banned electronic decoy lure with a whinchat song at the trapping site and had already caught a whinchat – an endangered species in many European countries. The perpetrator fled, but we were able to identify him. The good news: all other trapping sites for whinchats that have been checked so far are currently deserted!
Tackling bird trappers on Malta's sister island - Gozo.
05.04.2024
In parallel to our bird protection camp on Malta, for the past few weeks one of our teams has been permanently based on the neighbouring island of Gozo. The small island is a hotspot for illegal bird trapping. In March alone, CABS teams found 13 huge bird trapping installations and had them shut down by Gozo police. The officers dismantled and seized 22 trapping nets and eight illegal decoys. As a result of the evidence documented, 18 bird trappers have been convicted. The police were also able to confiscate 55 birds, including finches and golden plovers.
Our spring camp in Malta, where the controversial spring hunt for turtle doves and quails will begin again in a few days, will continue until the beginning of May.
Find out more about our campaigns and operations on Malta and Gozo here.
Ringed Storks from Germany and Poland shot down in Lebanon.
03.04.2024
A CABS team together with our local Lebanese partners from SPNL and MESHC Anti-Poaching Unit recovered a white stork from Lower Saxony with gunshot wounds in the Bekaa Valley last week. The female with the ring number "DEH AT 57" was ringed as a young bird in the Brandenburg district of Prignitz on 10 June 2016 and has regularly bred in Wendland since 2021. The male no doubt wondering why his partner has not returned. Another ringed stork from Poland was found injured south of Beirut and had to be euthanised. The shooting of the two storks is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Every year, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds from Europe are killed by bird poachers in Lebanon, including time and again birds ringed in Germany
Read more about our work against the illegal shooting of protected species in Lebanon here.
Spring bird protection camp in Cyprus.
28.03.2024
One of our bird protection camps is currently underway in Cyprus as well. Migratory birds are in a hurry to reach their breeding grounds in continental Europe; and although in recent years we have noted a decline in the incidents of illegal bird trapping and hunting, Cyprus remains a blackhole for birds traversing the eastern flyway back into Europe. With that said, CABS teams of conservationists from Slovenia, Italy, Germany, the UK and Cyprus are now active on the ground to investigate and report active trapping sites with limesticks or nets, as well as incidents of illegal hunting to the relevant authorities. Fines for wildlife crimes are significantly higher in spring (outside any official hunting season) and we therefore hope this alongside our presence will act as deterrent.
Find out more about our work in Cyprus here.
Raid on Sicilian bird market in Palermo.
22.03.2024
The "Ballarò" - a notorious bird market where wild caught birds and other illegal goods are sold under the counters - is located in the centre of Palermo. The phenomenon has been known for many years and there have been numerous police operations with dozens of people arrested. Following another tip-off from employees from our partners at Gruppo Adorno, which is financially supported by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter - CABS, the police have arrested four people selling freshly caught goldfinches (photo) and siskins during a check at the market. 20 wild birds were seized in the process. This was not an easy operation for both our members and the police officers, as Palermo is considered one of the main focal points of organised mafia crime in Italy. Further actions are planned.
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Your donation will enable us to fund our campaigns and bird protection camps throughout Europe, to keep up the fight for migratory birds. CABS is almost exclusively financed with private donations, from nature and animal lovers, as well as foundations and nature conservation associations. In order to stay independent, we do not receive public funds and we refuse business sponsorships. CABS is recognised as non-profit, thus, donations are tax-deductible. For a donation of 25 € or more, you will receive a donation receipt at the beginning of the following year.
