Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e.V. Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)

Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e. V.
Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)

  • deutsch
  • english
  • italiano
Spenden-Button

Operations against finch trapping on Malta

Maltese policeman dismantling a trapping net found by CABS
Maltese policeman dismantling a trapping net found by CABS

Finch trapping with nets has a long tradition on Malta. Particularly sought after are greenfinches, chaffinches, goldfinches, siskins, linnets and hawfinches. The birds are kept in tiny cages and sold at the pet markets. Until Malta's entry into the EU, bird-trapping was permitted on a regular basis in spring and autumn and was then repeatedly authorised for years through legally questionable derogations. First it was banned in spring, but since 2017 it is also no longer permitted in autumn.

Unfortunately, this does not stop hundreds of finch trappers setting their sites and trapping birds regardless of the law. Every year in March and October they prime their nets, place their live or electronic decoys and go trapping for finches. Other songbirds are also targeted such as as ortolan bunting, short-toed larks and red-throated pipits. 

Malta is a predominantly flat island, the trapping sites are almost always hidden behind high walls and difficult to see. At the beginning of the trapping season in March and October, CABS charter a small aircraft and conduct aerial surveys to record the scale of situation and map out active sites for investigation by our ground teams. The aim is to catch the perpetrators illegally trapping in-situ. The police do seize the nets we record, but the poachers quickly replace the lost trapping gear. Bringing them to justice is therefore our main objective during these operations.