Our bird protection camps on Malta

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has been active in Malta since 2001. At first there were only one-week missions in spring, we conducted our first bird protection camp in autumn in 2007. Since 2014 we have expanded our anti-poaching operations with missions in March, August, October and November. We now maintain a presence during the whole peak periods of bird migration across six bird protection camps with a length of approximately 12 weeks:

March: Spring mission against illegal finch trapping

April: Large spring bird protection camp monitoring the passage of birds of prey and storks

August: Summer mission against the illegal trapping of waders

September: Large autumn bird protection camp monitoring the passage of birds of prey and storks

October: autumn mission against illegal finch trapping

November/December: Action against illegal plover trapping

Operations against illegal finch trapping

Catching finches is forbidden in Malta, but the old tradition and still widespread today. In March and October our teams monitor the ban and collect evidence against poachers.

Operations to protect Birds of Prey

Birds of prey and storks are still coveted hunting trophies on Malta. When the birds migrate across the island in April and September, our teams guard the roosting sites and migration areas.

Operations to monitor wader trapping

Waders are caught illegally in Malta in midsummer and legally in late autumn with nets. In the summer we try to catch the poachers, in the autumn we monitor the compliance with the laws.