72% of hunters under BirdLife's watch 'illegaly shot turtledoves this season'

Some 72% of hunters under BirdLife's watch during the first week of the spring hunting season were illegally shooting at turtle-doves instead of the common quail, the NGO said on Monday.

The data was collected from various wathpoints across Malta and Gozo, where staff and volunteers distinguished between quail hunters actively walking through open vegetation, often with dogs, and those positioned in hides, towers or stationary setups typically associated with turtle-dove hunting.

Birdlife said the figures, gathered over six mornings between April 13 and April 18, are conservative, particularly in areas such as Miżieb and Aħrax where dense woodland limits visibility of hunting structures.

The season kicked off on April 13, with hunting limited to the common quail until April 19. Between April 20 and May 3, hunters are allowed to target the common quail and turtle dove. A limit of 1,500 turtle-doves has been imposed; the reporting is done by the hunters themselves.

Confiscated turtle-dove decoys from Ħal Far on April 14. Photo: Alice Tribe/BirdLife Malta

Meanwhile, BirdLife documented and reported multiple incidents of illegal hunting to the police.

These included the use of live or artificial decoys, electronic callers to attract migrating birds, and coordinated shooting following radio communication between hunters regarding incoming birds.

Shot turtle-dove rescued at Ġebel Ciantar on April 17. Photo: Nicholas Barbara/BirdLife Malta

A shot turtle-dove was recovered from Ġebel Ciantar on Friday afternoon and admitted for rehabilitation.

A veterinary examination confirmed the presence of lead pellets and a dislocated shoulder.

BirdLife said that in several cases, hunters fled the scene upon police arrival. Video evidence of multiple incidents has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Unit for further investigation, it added. 

Masked hunter throws gun and attempts to flee EPU officers at Xgħajra on April 18. Photo: BirdLife Malta

In one incident on Saturday, a team in Xgħajra filmed a masked individual actively pursuing turtle-doves under Fort St Leonard.

EPU officers arrived on site and caught the person in the act.

The hunter attempted to escape and resist arrest, throwing away his shotgun, and pulling a police sergeant downhill causing minor injuries.

The individual has since been jailed due to previous offences, including other cases of hunting without a licence also reported by BirdLife Malta.

While this case involved an unlicensed hunter, BirdLife said that most illegal turtle-dove hunting is carried out by licensed individuals.

EPU officer confronts masked hunter at Xgħajra on April 18. Photo: BirdLife Malta

Head of Conservation at BirdLife Malta, Nicholas Barbara, said there was no realistic way to ensure hunters restricted themselves to just quail once the season opens.

“What we keep witnessing is a systemic failure of regulation and enforcement. There is no effective self-regulation within much of the hunting community when it comes to turtle-doves, and species-specific enforcement is practically impossible,” he said.

BirdLife noted that with just under 8,000 licences issued this season, a ratio of seven police officers per 1,000 licences would be required in practice.

The NGO questioned whether such deployment was feasible, given the limited resources afforded to the EPU and the unit's absence in Gozo, where police presence is typically only triggered by NGOs' reports. 

This leaves large areas effectively unmonitored, allowing illegal activity to persist even in plain sight, BirdLife said.

"Claims that the 1,500 turtle-dove quota is controlled are simply false,” Barbara added.

Although a reporting mechanism exists, fewer than 10% of hunters use it. At the same time, spring hunting seasons involve thousands of hunters in dense concentrations, with hundreds of shots even from single locations as turtle-doves fly past through lines of occupied hunting hides and towers across both islands.

“The scale and density of hunting activity mean that during the three-week spring hunting season, Turtle-doves are killed illegally in the first week, followed by uncontrolled and largely unreported killing in the following two weeks."

BirdLife called on the European Commission to closely scrutinise the derogation reports submitted by Malta’s Wild Birds Regulation Unit, and invited commission representatives to visit Malta during the spring hunting period.