Dear CABS Friends and Supporters,
The spring migration comes slowly to an end; we therefore complete step by step our spring bird protection camps in the Mediterranean. Reade here about the results from our operations in Malta and Lebanon.
CABS spring bird protection camp in Malta complete – 31 poachers convicted
From the beginning of March to early May, three committee teams comprised of 25 volunteers were on duty in Malta and Gozo to take action against illegal bird trapping with clap-nets and the shooting of protected species. As a direct result of our field investigations, we were able to catch and convict 25 bird trappers and 6 hunters. The Environmental Police (EPU) confiscated 45 clap-nets, 11 electronic decoys, a mist-net and a cage trap. Further decoys for waders and quails as well as shooting of turtle doves outside of the open season were also reported by us. Our action also led to the confiscation of over 100 live decoys, mainly finches, but also short-toed larks, tree pipits and wagtails. In Malta, bird trapping and turtle dove hunting in particular have gotten out of control, especially in rural areas, we have recorded hundreds of shots during the morning, even before the start of the controversial spring hunting season. The shooting of birds of prey, on the other hand, continues to decline – this spring, none of our teams registered a shooting of large migratory birds. Our action will continue on the Mediterranean island in August, when the first waders return to Africa and are targeted by hunters, traded amongst bird collectors or used as live decoys.
Oriole shooter caught in Zakynthos Our teams caught another hunter shooting protected migratory birds during closed season. The teams were attracted to the area of Danato (south of the island) by the significant amount of gun shots and upon closer inspection they heard an electronic decoy caller playing oriole song and spotted the hunter walking around with the shotgun. When the police arrived with our volunteers, the man had left the area, but also had left behind his loaded shotgun, the caller and the five freshly shot birds. Everything was seized and the evidence submitted to the police who have identified and summoned. Spring anti-poaching actions in Lebanon complete
This spring, CABS teams carried out several bird protection missions in Lebanon together with our local partners from MESHC and SPNL. Illegal migratory bird shooting and trapping of protected species in the Cedar State continues to present a huge wildlife conservation crisis for migratory birds. In the north of the country alone, we found over 50 white storks shot within just a few days, including a bird ringed in the Czech Republic, while another stork from Germany fitted with a GPS transmitter is still missing despite an intensive search. In one particularly serious case, a poacher was filmed by us shooting down an endangered Lesser spotted eagle and a detailed casefile of evidence reported to the Environmental Prosecutors office. Several investigations are still ongoing to ensure prosecution is enforced. In other operations, we were also able to dismantle a total of 41 mist-nets and 270 limesticks along the coast and in the Beqaa Valley and seize them together with officers from the Internal Security Forces. We were also able to release 30 freshly caught songbirds. This autumn, we are planning to deploy several teams in Lebanon for an extended time to cover the entire peak migration period.
Zakynthos: Four attackers identified! 
On the Greek island of Zakynthos, a CABS team was attacked by 15 masked poachers in mid-April. Five of our members from Great Britain, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland were injured, in addition to cuts and bruises, there was a severe stab wound and a broken nose. The police have now announced that four of the alleged attackers have been identified. The men had to spend two nights in custody and were only released by paying €3,000 bail each. The media in Greece and beyond have reported extensively on the case, increasing the pressure on the local authorities. After the brutal attack, the situation on Zakynthos has calmed down significantly - there have been no further attacks against us and the illegal hunting of orioles, bee-eaters and turtle doves has noticeably decreased. The injured are now well again and in good spirits - they were back in action the day after the incident and have made it clear that we will not let it get us down so quickly!
Best regards,
Alexander Heyd and Lloyd Scott |
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