Malta Flouts European Commission Bird Directive

Opens Cruel Fall Bird-Trapping Season on Endangered Species

In direct violation of the European Commission’s (EU) Bird Directive, the small Mediterranean island of Malta has released legal notices announcing the official commencement of bird-trapping season, which runs from the 20th of October to the 31st of December. In this time, trappers can capture linnet, goldfinch, greenfinch, siskin, hawfinch, chaffinch, and serin . These birds are used as live decoys, or spend the rest of their lives languishing in cages as “pets.”

Malta’s refusal to comply with the EC Directive, which was implemented in 1979 “as a response to increasing concern about the declines in Europe’s wild bird populations resulting from pollution, loss of habitats as well as unsustainable use,” prompted the EC to refer Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) in September of 2015. While the EC awaits the outcome of the its submission, tens of thousands of birds will fall victim to the senseless violence the Maltese government is enabling.

Malta is clearly behind the times when it comes to animal protection and conservation. It has also allowed the shooting of turtledoves, a species that has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List of threatened species, to take place in the spring.

Great conservation gains have been made over the years by bans and restrictions on the capture and killing of wild birds. In some cases, populations of once endangered or threatened birds have increased by over 2000 percent. Let’s not let Malta reverse this trend by ignoring crucial conservation directives and promoting senseless violence against our gentle winged friends.

Read more about the situation concerning Malta here.

Read more about the live capture and killing of robins in the Southern Europe and North Africa here.