Dear CABS Friends and Supporters,
Spring is heralded by the songs of chaffinches, chiffchaffs, song thrushes and skylarks. More species will arrive soon. Meanwhile, our Bird Guards are heading to the Mediterranean to begin our spring conservation activities. Spring into action 
As spring migration begins, millions of birds - including Chiffchaffs, Swallows, and Cuckoos - are returning from Africa and Southern Europe. Tragically, this journey remains a "deadly gauntlet," with conservative estimates suggesting ~25 million birds are illegally killed across the Mediterranean every year by poachers using nets, lime-sticks, and electronic decoys. To combat this, we’re now busy preparing our spring bird protection camps in poaching hotspots like Malta, Italy, Greece, Cyprus. Our teams will be on the front lines investigating illegal spring hunting, searching for trapping sites and monitoring the passage of birds of prey and other protected species. Our team leaders and volunteers act as the final line of defence, filming poachers and helping authorities make arrests with our reports. As climate change shifts migration dates earlier, these direct-action efforts are more vital than ever to ensure these weary travellers reach their breeding grounds safely. Due to the current situation in the Middle East, it remains unclear whether we will be able to work in Lebanon as planned. Our thoughts and strength are with all our friends and colleagues; and everyone affected by the ongoing crisis. We hope that peace arrives with the birds.
Bird protection in Sardinia The Committee Against Bird Slaughter is making massive strides in the fight to protect migratory songbirds in Sardinia. Since 1995, our dedicated teams and volunteers have been on the front lines in the southern mountains near Cagliari, dismantling thousands of illegal ‘horsehair snares’ and mist nets used to catch and kill songbirds for consumption and the black-market trade. By partnering with the authorities and using high-tech surveillance, CABS has helped drive poaching numbers down from over 20,000 snares a season in recent decades, to just a few hundred today. As we look toward the winter 2026 bird protection camp, our mission remains the same: ensuring that robins and thrushes can find a safe haven in the Mediterranean without the threat of illegal trapping.
Illegal songbird traps in Lower Bavaria
We have discovered and dismantled illegal trapping equipment for songbirds in the municipality of Ascha (Straubing-Bogen district) in cooperation with the police. The ‘centrepiece’ consisted of two 15-metre-long gillnets that had been set up on the grounds of a farm. It was a professional installation, similar to those used by trappers in Italy and Cyprus. We assume that migrating finches were the target. Numerous other bird traps were also found in the immediate vicinity, including two cage traps, three live traps for corvids and a wire mesh trap, which was possibly intended to catch birds of prey. However, the devices were not set at the time of the raid. The case was discovered and reported to the police by CABS Officers and the LBV district group Straubing-Bogen (local BirdLife group) who were in the area on Thursday following a tip-off from the public. The police have initiated criminal proceedings against the suspect for violations of the Federal Nature Conservation Act and animal cruelty.
Winter bird protection camp in Cyprus complete – 10 poachers caught
After more than five weeks, this year's winter mission in Cyprus has now come to an end. During the cold season, poachers target wintering thrushes, warblers and larks that move south seeking refuge from the harsher climate on the continent. The birds are killed to be eaten as ‘delicacies’ and sold on the black market for profit. Our teams had their hands full, especially during the second half of the camp. Following our field investigations and reports, the authorities caught a total of 10 poachers. During the raids, >100 limesticks, 13 nets and 12 electronic decoy devices were dismantled and seized. Our activists were able to free two dozen birds from traps. In just a few weeks, some of them will be travelling back to Cyprus, as our spring campaign begins!
Help us STOP the illegal killing of migratory birds in the Mediterranean and donate via donorbox.
Best regards,
Alexander Heyd and Lloyd Scott |
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