CABS fly the flag at Europe's largest hunting fair!
28.01.2025
CABS are raising awareness about raptor persecution and hunting endangered migratory bird species! The ‘Jagd und Hund’ (Hunting and Dogs) exhibition in Dortmund is Europe's largest hunting fair, with around 70,000 hunters expected to attend. From today until Sunday evening, hundreds of suppliers will be exhibiting all things hunting related. Around 90 hunting holiday organisers will also be there. This is not just about trophy hunting for elephants and zebras – you can also book trips to shoot endangered migratory birds. Anyone wishing to buy bird traps such as hawk traps will also find what they are looking for – even though their use is banned throughout the EU. The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) is represented with a stand for the first time this year.
Action against illegal water fowling in Italy
19.01.2025
After weeks of preparation, game wardens from WWF Lombardia, together with the provincial police, caught three hunters who were illegally hunting ducks in the Po river valley in northern Italy. They were hidden on an almost inaccessible island near Bastida Pancarana and shot ducks wintering there using prohibited electronic decoys. One of the perpetrators did not have a gun licence. The officers confiscated the hunting weapons, the mobile phone, the Bluetooth speaker and the animals that had been shot – 17 teals and three wigeons. This operation marked the first successful use of artificial intelligence for detection.
More about our campaigns and operations in Italy here.
First Action of 2026 - Winter Camp in Cyprus
09.01.2026
While January is regarded as perhaps the most ‘dormant’ month of the year for European wildlife, in Cyprus bird trappers are almost always on the prowl; and so too are our determined team of activists! As the cold weather fronts begin to take hold on the mainland continent, waves of migratory thrushes push further south, seeking refuge in the milder climes. Any trappers that do pop up on our radar in the coming weeks will be reported to the authorities and face significant fines.
Read more about the CABS operations on Cyprus here ...
Record year 2025: 343 poachers convicted!
19.12.2025
The year 2025 was one of the most successful in CABS' history. During our anniversary year – we celebrated our 50th birthday – we convicted a total of 343 poachers at our bird protection camps – a new record! After our reports the authorities seized 4,752 traps, 631 nets, 170 electronic decoys, and 66 shotguns. More than 3,300 birds were freed from the traps or decoy cages. Over 200 volunteers from 16 nations participated. Our operations focused on the east coast of Spain, Italy, Malta, the Greek islands of Zakynthos and Santorini, Cyprus, northern Lebanon, and our campaign against the illegal persecution of birds of prey in Germany.
Read more in our detailed Annual Report.
Bird protection camps 2026 – the dates have been set!
12.12.2025
The dates for our campaigns in 2026 have been set. The 21 large bird protection camps will take place in Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon. In addition, there will be a whole series of smaller camps, most of them in Italy and Germany. The longest campaign in 2026 will once again be the autumn camp in Cyprus, where we will cover the entire migration period with 78 days of work. New to the programme is our action against bird trapping in late autumn in Lebanon. You can find the dates here.
Our would be impossible without volunteers, but the requirements in terms of physical fitness, species knowledge and teamwork are high. More information and a questionnaire can be found here.
Bird protection camp in Malta complete
06.12.2025
Our bird protection camps in Malta and Gozo have now also come to an end. Since mid-September, more than 20 volunteers have been monitoring the passage of migratory birds of prey and in recent weeks carried out checks on bird trapping to uncover violations. Malta is an important stepping stone for migratory birds travelling via Italy to Africa. Despite clear warnings from the EU Commission, bird trapping on the island archipelago was once again permitted for ‘purely scientific purposes’. During our operations, we caught and reported 26 poachers, and a total of 26 pairs of clap-nets were seized by the Maltese Police Environmental Unit (EPU). Over 380 live birds, mainly finches, were also confiscated.
Read more about our campaigns and operations in Malta here.
Huge wins this autumn in Cyprus - €239,770 in fines issued!
04.12.2025
Between September 10 and November 25, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), working with Cypriot Police and Game Wardens, conducted 75 joint operations that resulted in 55 convictions and over €239,770 in fines issued. Our teams seized 1,547 limesticks and 137 mist-nets, and rescued 1,286 live protected birds, saving countless more as a direct result of our actions. Crucially, the operations included major raids initiated after CABS, together with broadcasters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, exposed the industrial-scale trapping through the 'Operation Dead Air' campaign, leading to major fines against notorious trapping gangs and sending a strong message that no one is above the law!
Read our full Press Release here.
Action against bird trapping on Santorini
24.11.2025
Bird trapping is still widespread on the Greek Aegean island of Santorini. In late autumn, goldfinches and greenfinches are caught using cage traps and nets so they can be kept as cage and aviary birds. At this year’s bird protection camp on Santorini, our teams have so far checked more than 100 trapping sites and have caught five poachers, together with the police and hunting authorities. Seven clap-nets, 92 limesticks and 26 cage traps have been seized, and 128 finches released. Discussions have also already taken place with politicians and the island’s administration to make the campaign even more effective in the coming years.
Spain: CABS and Civil Guardia Civil catch 16 poachers!
17.11.2025
The trapping season is also coming to an end in the western Mediterranean, and our bird protection camp in eastern Spain is now complete. Since the end of October, our teams have been working every night in the coastal plain between Valencia and the Ebro Delta. Together with officers from the Guardia Civil, they have apprehended 16 poachers at 12 trapping sites. The men had been using parany – elaborate trapping devices made from sticky rods cut from giant carob trees. The police officers seized a total of 2,000 sticky rods, 12 set nets and 30 small beat nets. Our Spain team is not heading home now, but to Andalusia, where we will be searching for nets and beat traps.
Read more about our campaigns and operations in Spain here.
Your Donation Makes a Difference!
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.
