Tjuvjägarparadiset

Septembermorgon på Malta (notera jakttornet nere till vänster). Foto: Håkan Eklund.

Fick ett mejl från BirdLife Malta, med upprop om hjälp för att monitorera/dokumentera (för korrespondens med EU)  tjuvjakten på våra flyttfåglar. Något som är så skandalöst att man saknar ord ...

Jag har varit där två vårar och en höst, och sett eländet med egna ögon. Och detta i ett EU-land; att samma fågelslakt pågår i Nordafrika, i Mellanöstern och i många u-länder, gör ju inte saken lättare.

Men att inte EU kan hålla styr på sina medlemsstater är beklagligt. Och de flesta politiker (och vanliga medborgare) vet ju inte mycket om sånt här; knappas FS-medlemmar heller ...

Så här skriver man från Valettakontoret (http://www.birdlifemalta.org/):

I am emailing you with an update on developments on Malta as we approach the start of Raptor Camp this coming weekend. As someone who has been involved in the past you will know how important the camps are in both monitoring the migration and the illegal shooting of protected birds that goes with it. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you if you are coming over to take part this year.

This year’s Raptor Camp is especially important because the new Maltese government has decided to roll back the curfew that banned hunting from 3pm during peak raptor migration in September. I am sure you will remember seeing honey buzzards, marsh harriers and other raptors scouting the islands in the afternoons as they look for a place to roost. Now, many more will become the victim of illegal shooting because of the government’s decision to roll back the curfew to 7pm, making it totally ineffective. The evidence gathered by Raptor Camp volunteers will be used to demonstrate to the government the impact of the roll back of the curfew on protected species and so put pressure on them to bring it back in 2014.

Already, the office has begun to receive injured shot birds as the autumn hunting season builds up. Just yesterday two marsh harriers were brought to the office and were euthanized by the vet because their injuries were so bad. We have also been working with a research project in Corsica following the disappearance of an osprey that was being monitored on its migration. The young osprey successfully migrated over Sardinia and Sicily but the satellite monitoring abruptly stopped one morning as the bird flew over Delamara on Malta, a notorious illegal hunting spot. We concluded that the bird was shot and the tracking device destroyed.

If you are not coming to Raptor Camp this year, you can still help us. As always, we desperately need funds for the Camp itself. This is especially important this year because the Police Commissioner is refusing to provide an ALE officer to accompany our teams in the field. This will make communications with the law enforcement officers more difficult making it less likely that illegal hunters will be caught. It also increases the risks to our teams of harassment from aggressive hunters. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so through our website http://www.birdlifemalta.org/Content/donate/972/#.UjBB3D_WnHsor sending a cheque to me at the office, details below. Every Euro helps.

You can also help us with our campaigning. We are developing a powerful campaign to end spring hunting on Malta. We are working with 12 other organisations to call for a referendum on Malta to ban it. We know that 60% of Maltese people wish to see this happen. The coalition is also going to work at the European Union level to bring more pressure on the European Commission to take the action that it is perfectly able to do to end spring hunting here. You could help by giving talks and asking people to support the campaign by contacting their Member of the European Parliament. If you would like to get involved, please email me and we will ensure you have all of the materials once they are produced.

Thanks again for all your support to BirdLife Malta. Knowing that we have people who care about what happens here keeps us all motivated in very difficult times for bird conservation on Maltese islands.

2013-09-11 13:27   Margareta Cortés

Och så sitter man i EU och pratar om hur stora jordgubbarna ska vara och hur böjda bananerna bör vara. Snuset är också en viktig fråga men ingen bryr sig om tjuvjakten. Såg ett TV program om det för många år sedan och trodde nog att något hänt på hela den tiden, men tydligen inte.

2013-09-11 13:40   Annelie Worgard

Tack för att du delar. Det är väldigt tråkigt! att inte mer syns om detta och att inte mer press sätts på Malta.

2013-09-11 13:53   Osquar

Bedrövligt är bara förordet...... :-(
Och Margaretas lilla reflektion över vad EU istället tycks anse vara viktigare för Jordens fortlevnad, gör det hela än mer ultra-pinsamt!
Fack Bryssel!!!

Bra att du tar upp/för fram/belyser dessa svinerier av gigantiska mått!

/Oscar

2013-09-11 14:46   syntax

Jag läste i somras en biografi över Axel Munthe. Runt sin villa San Michele på Capri köpte Munthe in ett stort markområde, bland annat ett viktigt berg, för att hindra lokalbefolkningen från att massakrera flyttfåglarna. Det är över 100 år sedan. Här ett citat från Munthe som har bitit sig fast:

"Djurblod på barnafingrar torkar ofta till outplånliga rostfläckar i den vuxne mannens samvete".