Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1195815
NEWS MATTHEW VELLA THE Committee Against Bird Slaughter CABS has urged the Maltese government to imme- diately close the trapping sea- son for Golden Plovers after its teams witnessed massive abuse in the last nights. The infringements include the extensive use of illegal bird callers, night trapping outside the permitted hours, contra- vening the quota – a report- ing requirement for trapped birds, as well as the illegal sale of wild caught Golden Plovers (Pluvieri) on the website Mal- tapark.com. CABS said that in the last weeks its office had received more than a dozen reports from members of the public complaining about loud bird callers used for illegal hunting and trapping. These reports were con- firmed by the CABS teams who have mapped a record number of 35 locations from where the illegal bird callers for Golden Plovers can actu- ally be heard. "Nearly all of the devices are being used on registered trap- ping sites and can be heard from kilometres away," CABS wildlife crime officer Fiona Burrows said. The highest densities of ac- tive sites were located around Siggiewi, Delimara, St Thomas Bay, Mgarr, Bahrija, Qrendi, Rabat, Fiddien, Burmarrad, Maghtab, Safi, Zurrieq and in Gozo at San Lawrenz and the Ta' Cenc plateau. The NGO also published a video documenting illegal night trapping of Golden Plov- ers. The footage was filmed with a thermal imaging device, show- ing trappers sitting in their hides and waiting for birds in the middle of the night, when all trapping and hunting is banned. "Our investigations have shown that most often the large sites are being manned 24/7 to trap a maximum num- ber of birds. ''In contrast to Golden Plov- ers, who are most active dur- ing night hours, the ALE – the police unit responsible for en- forcing trapping regulations – only works during the day. ''This massive lack of en- forcement during the peak time for plover trapping is ex- actly the opposite of the strict supervision promised by Mal- ta to the European Commis- sion to justify its controversial trapping derogation," CABS press officer Axel Hirschfeld said. The biologist pointed out that plovers trapped outside the permitted hours are not being reported to the Wild Birds Regulation Unit which is actually supposed to close the season when the official quota of 700 trapped birds is reached. "This limitation and the strict supervision are the two key conditions for a derogation under the EU's Birds Directive. But instead of enforcing these regulations the government obviously has decided to take the EU for a ride and hopes to get away with it," Hirschfeld said, adding that CABS has re- peatedly highlighted the prob- lem of "zero police control" during night hours in the last years to no avail. CABS announced that its teams will continue to moni- tor plover trapping and record illegalities as well as the lack of enforcement until the closure of the season in the month of January. The results of the investiga- tion will be used as evidence in a complaint for an alleged breach of EU law by Malta, as well as to provide evidence for court proceedings against the owners of the respective trap- ping sites. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2019 CALAMATTA CUSCHIERI INVESTMENT SERVICES LTD. IS LICENSED BY THE MFSA AND IS A MEMBER OF THE MALTA STOCK EXCHANGE. B'KARA | VALLETTA | SLIEMA | QORMI | FGURA | MOSTA Wishing You Peace, Joy & Prosperity in 2020 Season's Greetings OUR OFFICES WILL BE OPEN THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVE SEASON EXCEPT FOR Tuesday 24 th & 31 ST December - closed after 1pm Thursday 26 th December - closed all day 24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORT WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE Zero enforcement fuels illegal night-time trapping