Birdlife Malta has released a video summary of illegalities witnessed during this year’s spring hunting season.

The ornithological organisation said it will now be presenting the video to the European Commission.

In a statement, the organisation said that although this year it could not welcome international volunteers to help with monitoring due to COVID-19 restrictions, it still observed and recorded rampant hunting illegalities across Malta.

The hunting season, which is meant to be open only for the common quail, once again targeted mainly the vulnerable turtle-dove, it said.

Birdlife said every episode in the video amounted to illegal hunting, with hunters seen stationary in their hides waiting for incoming turtle-doves, or blatantly and deliberately shooting on turtle-doves and other protected species.

It said that all footage was filmed from public spaces, clearly demonstrating acts in breach of the law and on which it expected justice.

Birdlife said that illegalities, particularly relating to the illegal killing of turtle-doves, were detected on a daily basis. 

Together with the police, the organisation said it recovered a number of illegally shot turtle-doves suffering from various gunshot injuries.

The video, it said, will now be presented to the European Commission as part of the evidence to show how Malta’s derogation for the hunting of common quail has once again been used to allow hunters to target the protected European turtle-dove.

In view of the fresh infringement procedures initiated by the European Union against Malta in December 2020 over concerns that last year’s season coincided with peak migration of turtle-dove, the commission should be left with no other option but to take Malta to the European Court of Justice, BLM said,