22.04.2026

An injured buzzard was found on Asdonkstraße in the north-east of Kamp-Lintfort (Wesel district, North Rhine-Westphalia) and taken to the NABU Wesel bird of prey rescue centre. During an examination of the bird, a vet discovered several shotgun pellets – the bird had been shot. The Lower Rhine region is one of the hotspots for illegal bird of prey persecution in Germany; since 2005 alone, we have recorded more than 170 cases in this region. NABU Wesel and the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) have offered a reward of €1,000 for information leading to the identification of the perpetrator.

Find out more about CABS work against raptor persecution in Germany here. 

21.04.2026

As spring bird migration in Malta is reaching its seasonal peak illegal poaching has escalated in lockstep with the numbers of birds arriving. In breach of EU law, the Maltese government’s 2026 spring quail season continues to serve as a "smokescreen" for illegal turtle dove hunting. Monitoring teams estimate that two-thirds of shots target these endangered birds from hidden groves rather than quail in open fields. Recent CABS reports led to three arrests by the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) - including poachers in Marsakala, Girgenti, and Mosta. Despite these enforcement successes, spring hunting in Malta remains largely out of control.

Read todays full Press Release here.

20.04.2026

North of the coastal town of Byblos lies a hotspot for bird songbird trapping in Lebanon. Teams from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter and our partners at MECSHAP managed to catch three bird poachers here within a week. The men had set up limesticks on bushes specially trimmed for this purpose in the coastal scrubland and installed decoys playing electronic warbler songs. Local police and security forces arrived quickly on the scene despite the current situation in the country. Two individuals are known to the police, and criminal proceedings have been initiated. The officers seized a total of 164 limesticks, three decoys and 76 birds, some of which had already been plucked (mainly Eurasian warblers and blackcaps). 

06.04.2026

The migration of white storks is now largely complete – time for a brief interim report from the bird protection camp. The joint operation between CABS and our partner MECSHAP has now been underway for three weeks. Due to heavy rainfall, hunting was impossible for almost a week, allowing many birds to fly over the country unhindered. All in all, our teams encountered only a few isolated poachers and otherwise mainly flew the flag to deter offenders. The discovery of dead storks indicates that hunting did take place in isolated instances. In the area around the city of Tripoli we found the remains of a total of 24 white storks and reported them to the police. The operation will continue until the end of April.

Red more about our campaign in Lebanon here

01.04.2026

This week the Ornis Committee has officially voted to recommend opening Malta’s 2026 spring hunting season, with quail hunting set for 13 April to 3 May and turtle dove hunting from 20 April to 3 May. National bag limits are proposed to remain at 2025 levels - 1,500 turtle doves and 2,400 quail - while a controversial "scientific" trapping derogation for turtle doves has also been put forward. Despite the committee's vote, the move has ignited strong criticism that the decision prioritises political interests over the protection of a species in clear decline.

CABS teams are already on the ground and monitoring passage of protected species and general hunting compliance as the recommendation moves toward final government approval. Find out more about our Malta campaign here. 

24.03.2026

Within just 10 days, CABS teams have uncovered numerous cases of illegal bird trapping across the archipelago. As a result, 13 poachers have been caught so far, 56 live birds were rescued and 20 illegal mist nets were seized by the police. 

Particularly shocking is the filmed killing of a strictly protected kestrel on Gozo. Our footage shows how a poacher first catches the bird with his clap-net, then stamps it to death and finally throws it away like rubbish. The cameras also captured the man feigning physical discomfort to distract the police whilst he hid evidence – presumably an illegal decoy – in a nearby bean field. You can find our video on YouTube here. 

Read our latest Press Release here.

19.03.2026

Although the poaching season in Italy hasn’t really started yet, we have already caught three poachers: since mid-February, CABS officers have been monitoring several trapping sites in northern Italy and have made initial reports to the authorities. Little by little, the perpetrators are now being brought to justice – with three suspects caught. One man had set up two nets, primarily to catch thrushes and other migratory birds; in the cases of the other two, finches and larks that had not been properly ringed were found. Police have seized over 90 birds, including chaffinches, bramblings, siskins and goldfinches. Further checks are planned.

Find out more about our campaigns and operations in Italy here. 

06.03.2026

Many poachers continue to operate their trapping sites in the Mediterranean region even in spring. Hence we are now getting ready for our spring actions: in southern Italy, CABS teams will monitor illegal spring hunting and search for trapping sites. In Malta, we take action against bird trapping with mist-nets and monitor the migration of birds of prey. In Greece, we will continue our checks on illegal spring hunting this year. Due to the current situation in the Middle East, it is not yet certain whether we will be able to work in Lebanon. Further actions will take place in Cyprus and northern Italy. There, a CABS team has already achieved success and convicted a bird trapper using a net.

By mid-May, we will have carried out eight operations with approximately 50 volunteers.

01.03.2026

After more than five weeks, this year's winter mission in Cyprus has now come to an end. During the cold season, poachers target wintering thrushes, warblers and larks that move south seeking refuge from the harsher climate on the continent. The birds are killed to be eaten as ‘delicacies’ and sold on the black market for profit. Our teams had their hands full, especially during the second half of the camp. Following our field investigations and reports, the authorities caught a total of 10 poachers. During the raids, >100 limesticks, 13 nets and 12 electronic decoy devices were dismantled and seized. Our activists were able to free two dozen birds from traps. In just a few weeks, some of them will be travelling back to Cyprus, as our spring campaign begins!