Spring bird conservation camp on Ischia
Ischia is one of the largest of the islands off the coast of southern Italy. The dense forests and proximity to the mainland attract large numbers of migratory birds. Even today, poachers still use snap traps for whinchat, wheatear and other long distance migrants and illegally at quails and turtledoves as they attempt to return to their breeding areas.
CABS has been active in Ischia since 1993. With help from a small group of local nature and animal lovers we have a permanent presence on the island. Some of its members are state-approved hunting wardens and animal welfare officers. They inspect trapping sites and hunting grounds, help the authorities to convict poachers and also take care of injured wild birds.
CABS and our partners from the WWF hold bird protection camps on Ischia each year in April and May. CABS members focus our efforts on identifying illegal trapping sites. Equipped with drones and hidden cameras, the terraced vineyards, vegetable gardens and orchards in the coastal cliffs are investigated. Hidden cameras are installed on active sites, observed from a distance or shown to police officers who lie in wait to catch the perpetrators.
The WWF's hunting supervisors, financially supported by CABS, primarily focus their efforts against illegal spring hunting. They lay in wait in the morning and evening hours at the poaching hotspots - mostly remote valleys and ridges away from the villages. When they hear shots or see people with hunting weapons, spot checks are conducted with their statutory powers and violations are recorded and prosecuted.
The combination of the local activists with their year-round presence and the two bird protection camps has greatly reduced poaching on Ischia. Relative calm has now returned where thousands of traps once stood and the skies frequently rang with gunshot. Nevertheless, we have to remain active, as the poaching tradition on Ischia has not yet been fully extinguished.
The Karl Kaus Foundation has been supporting us for many years in financing our operations on Ischia.