Maltarapport

Min väg i lugnet. Hirvensalo, Åbo 26.9.2013. Foto: Håkan Eklund.

Kollar då och då läget på Malta. Klistrar in senaste rapporten där man berättar om hur hur det går till på ön. Tänk att man skall tvingas vaka över övernattande storkar, som vilar på vägen till övervintringskvarteret! Och ändå hjälper det inte.

Jag har själv varit med om nattliga vaktturer på Malta, och det är inte det roligaste när man är omringad av halvgalna och oberäkneliga tjuvjägare.

Deras websida hittas på http://www.birdlifemalta.org/

Thursday 26^th September 2013 – BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp volunteers and the police guarded roosting rare Black Storks overnight at Buskett Woodland, but despite their coordinated efforts, one has been filmed by BirdLife Malta being shot down by an illegal hunter as it left the area this morning.

Yesterday afternoon six Black Storks were seen arriving in the area to the sound of gunshots at 5pm as they looked for somewhere to roost for the night. One was seen landing in the trees in Buskett below Verdala Palace. The other five birds flew in the direction of Dingli cliffs before being lost to sight. The sound of gunshots was heard coming from the direction in which the birds had flown.

 The watching BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp team at Buskett observed several suspicious vehicles in the area around the woodland and alerted the police to the presence of one of the protected birds. Two Raptor Camp volunteers, including Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations, worked together with police officers to guard the Black Stork at Buskett overnight. Ian said, “It is extremely disappointing, but no longer a shock or a surprise to hear that yet another rare bird has died at the hands of a shotgun-wielding criminal in Malta. As we guarded this bird overnight, an appalling necessity in itself, we were concerned that as soon as the bird took flight, it would be vulnerable. It is an absolute disgrace that species in which considerable conservation resources and effort are put elsewhere in Europe continue to be slaughtered in Malta’s skies in the 21st century.”

 In the morning, the single bird was observed leaving the trees at 6.30am and joined a second Black Stork which had appeared, presumably having roosted nearby. A Raptor Camp team were filming the two Black Storks circling over the protected Bird Sanctuary when the incident took place and recorded the moment when a hunter shot at one of the birds from the trees below. The bird was visibly hit and dropped down into the valley as the volunteers watched.

 A local birdwatcher was first to reach the shot stork, but found it already dead.

 Another three Black Storks were seen at Santa Katerina circling to gain height and then flying off to the north. Of the six Black Storks seen yesterday evening only five were accounted for today, including the one shot at Buskett.

 Steve Micklewright, BirdLife Malta’s Executive Director said, “The FKNK repeatedly state that they are doing everything in their power to stop this kind of incident from happening, but we see very little evidence that these words are being backed up by real action to stop illegal hunting.”

 Steve added, “The FKNK’s use of the media to condemn illegal acts after they have happened is no substitute for reporting illegal hunters to police and providing evidence that enables them to be convicted.”

 Black Storks are relatively rare migrants through the Maltese Islands, with normally only a handful seen each year. They are also highly prized as trophies by illegal hunters and stuffed specimens can fetch several thousand Euros from collectors on the black market.

2013-09-26 22:58   Dubbelolle

Ja det är märkligt att det ska va så svårt att få stopp på detta vansinne! Hälsn, LO