Anyone been following the daily articles by Chris Packham who has gone to Malta to highlight the illegal spring slaughter of migrating birds passing through the island? What an eye opener.
Chris Packham in Malta
- Thread starter mealsonwheels
- Start date
I haven't actually been following his current articles, but |'m aware of what goes on in Malta, and also Greece and Cyprus, where our feathered friends are trapped by being caught on glue-sprayed branches, then 'harvested' and cooked. I wrote to the appropriate Embassies a long time ago to tell them I wouldn't be holidaying in their countries while they're involved in barbaric and illegal torture and murder of migrating birds on our 'red' list. Only by boycotting these nations, and hitting them where it hurts most, will they change their practices.
For anyone who doesn't know what's going on in Malta at the moment, the European Wild Birds Directive expressly forbids any hunting in the spring season. But the Maltese Government contravenes this by 'legalising' a period of hunting to permit the shooting of migrating Quail and Turtle Doves. Unfortunately, the 11,000 Maltese hunters shoot many more species, including legally protected species such as Cuckoos, Herons, Warblers, Swallows and many birds of prey, which are used as 'target practice'. The European Commission is aware of this, but no action is taken.
Chris Packham is out there and sending a daily video diary on his website at 9pm each night. The latest one, posted yesterday evening, is quite harrowing, so be warned. www.chrispackham.co.uk and www.birdlifemalta.org
BBC radio stations have been discussing it and many people are contacting their MEP's, so lets hope this is a turning point for our feathered friends flying over Malta from Africa to Europe to breed.
Chris Packham is out there and sending a daily video diary on his website at 9pm each night. The latest one, posted yesterday evening, is quite harrowing, so be warned. www.chrispackham.co.uk and www.birdlifemalta.org
BBC radio stations have been discussing it and many people are contacting their MEP's, so lets hope this is a turning point for our feathered friends flying over Malta from Africa to Europe to breed.
Damian
Moderator
I was stationed in Malta whilst serving in the Royal Air Force back in the late 60's and early 70's and the bird catching has been going on since long before then, but at that time they also used fine nets suspended between long poles and covered in glue to catch the sparrows and anything else that happened to come in contact with the nets.
We used to try and disrupt this barbaric "cull" as it was very distressing to see hundreds of birds flapping helplessly for hours on end until the "farmer" came and removed them from the hell they were in.
In lots of the food shops were bottles of pickled sparrows..............It is awful to see.
We used to try and disrupt this barbaric "cull" as it was very distressing to see hundreds of birds flapping helplessly for hours on end until the "farmer" came and removed them from the hell they were in.
In lots of the food shops were bottles of pickled sparrows..............It is awful to see.
Damian and MealsonWheels, thank you both for highlighting this problem and bringing it to the attention of Forum readers. I'm afraid I'm too much of a Woos to watch Chris Packham's video, but what a wonderful bloke he is, trying to change things and improve the plight of our migrating birds.
I particularly miss seeing song thrushes in the gardens in recent years, I can't remember what the figures were in this years Big Garden Birdwatch, but they are becoming a rare species. Their beautiful songs, at dawn and dusk, are a joy to hear. It does upset me to think of these, and other birds suffering at the hands of our European neighbours.
I particularly miss seeing song thrushes in the gardens in recent years, I can't remember what the figures were in this years Big Garden Birdwatch, but they are becoming a rare species. Their beautiful songs, at dawn and dusk, are a joy to hear. It does upset me to think of these, and other birds suffering at the hands of our European neighbours.
Damian, we have witnessed ourselves the barbaric practice of using illegal mist nets and lime sticks in Cyprus and it seems to be getting worse. The mist nets (sometimes miles of them) are strung up primarily to catch Blackcaps, which are pickled and sold as 'delicacies', but of course the nets catch anything that happen to be flying by.
The lime sticks, which are covered in a sticky sap and placed to stick out from bushes, so that birds land on them, are just as indiscriminate and anything that lands on them will get stuck by the feet and then as they struggle, the wings get stuck and sometimes the head. It's absolutely awful to see.
This slaughter is going on around many mediterranean countries and involves millions of birds. How much longer can this mass killing of migratory birds go on? We are in the 21st century now and it beggars belief that governments allow it to go on.
Cybercinth, they actually have a Song Thrush killing season in France!
The lime sticks, which are covered in a sticky sap and placed to stick out from bushes, so that birds land on them, are just as indiscriminate and anything that lands on them will get stuck by the feet and then as they struggle, the wings get stuck and sometimes the head. It's absolutely awful to see.
This slaughter is going on around many mediterranean countries and involves millions of birds. How much longer can this mass killing of migratory birds go on? We are in the 21st century now and it beggars belief that governments allow it to go on.
Cybercinth, they actually have a Song Thrush killing season in France!
Due in no small part to social media and the rippling effect it has, Birdlife Malta has received support from all over the world and at present, their fundraising target of 50,000 euros has been exceeded, with donations at the moment standing at 65,347 euros. Hopefully, a referendum will take place before long, to enable the 44,000+ Maltese citizens, who want to ban spring 'hunting', to be able to vote to ban it forever.
Tomorrow, 7th May 2014, the House of Commons will debate UK policy on protection of migratory birds in Malta and Chris Packham has been invited to brief MP's beforehand.
Tomorrow, 7th May 2014, the House of Commons will debate UK policy on protection of migratory birds in Malta and Chris Packham has been invited to brief MP's beforehand.
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