17. 04. 2023

Malta’s spring hunting for Turtle Dove is officially open

17.04.2023

The opening of the Turtle dove hunting season has opened after a court ruling today to not accept a BirdLife Malta request to not open the season and instead granted Malta’s hunters permission – flying in the face of the EC Birds Directive yet again. This means that the season is now open for both Quail (2400 birds) and Turtle Doves (1500 birds), with the season running until 30th April. Each bird taken has to be reported to the authorities and once the quota is reached the hunting season has to close. However, in the last two weeks alone, CABS teams have witnessed dozens of incidents of illegal Turtle Dove shooting and it is clear that a significant number of the quota has already been exhausted illegally.