BirdLife Malta condemns reopening of stuffed bird transfers ahead of election
The same thing had happened before the 2022 elections
A decision by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) to reopen applications for the transfer of stuffed protected birds between private collections has sent bird conservation efforts back by over two decades, BirdLife Malta said on Tuesday.
The NGO said the move revived a controversial system, which allowed hunters to transfer birds declared in an amnesty last given in 2003.
At the time, a large proportion of bird declarations were not yet vetted by enforcement authorities, allowing practically the laundering of bird collections to fill wish lists and allowing hunters who did not have a collection after 2003, to start building one up.
This renewed a demand for protected species, fuelling the illegal killing of birds.
In March 2022, days before the last general election, the government had given in to pressure by the taxidermy lobby to allow the transfer of vetted specimens.
The same was now happening again, BirdLife said.
"Such transfers fly in the face of international obligations in the trade of protected species such as CITES which are waived when hunters ‘donate’ such specimens to each other, while evidently, bird specimens carry thousands of euros of value depending on species," BirdLife said.
The NGO said the move comes soon after trappers were granted the possibility of sitting for an exam and applying for a trapping licence. Around 2,000 new trappers are expected to pass the simple examination, which could see Malta’s trapper population rising to around 6,000 individuals.
BirdLife said it was deeply concerning that these concessions were once again being made on the eve of a general election, continuing a pattern of giving in to the hunting and trapping lobby unashamedly.
"It is clear that Robert Abela’s intention for the next five years is not aligned with the conservation of wild birds, but a continued giving in to the hunting lobby, especially on aspects that breach Malta’s international obligations at a European and global scale.
Such measures collectively legitimise the continued persecution and commercialisation of protected birds while undermining Malta’s conservation obligations and international reputation."