Valletta, Malta - The carcasses of more than 150 protected birds were discovered in a Maltese woodland on Monday by wildlife protection volunteers. The dead birds were found in the Mizieb woodland in the north of the island, which is managed by the hunting federation.
The two-day operation started after volunteers from Birdlife Malta and CABS (Committee Against Bird Slaughter) spotted hunters gunning down protected birds of prey that roosted in the trees on Sunday.
An initial search yielded four freshly killed protected birds that were hidden underneath stones and bushes, a Birdlife Malta spokesman said.
However, as the search for more dead birds continued volunteers started unearthing bones and feathers of protected birds, also hidden beneath stones and bushes.
The remains found included honey buzzards, marsh harriers, night herons, nightjars, falcons and hoopoes among others.
Volunteers conducted a sweeping search of the woodland under the direct supervision of the police, documenting all the finds.
A spokesman for Birdlife however expressed concern at the fact that the police did not cordon off the whole area between Sunday and Monday allowing hunters to continue shooting while the search was ongoing.
Pete Charleston, a CABS volunteer and a former police officer with the wildlife crime unit in Northern Wales, said he had never before come across anything like this.
"We all know that this investigation is unlikely to lead to anybody in particular being blamed for the crime, after all we are only finding dead birds. But it goes to show the extent of illegality that is taking place and puts pressure on the Maltese authorities to do something about it," he said.
Birds of prey migrating from Europe to Africa pass over Malta during the month of September. They normally roost in trees waiting for sunrise before departing again for their southward journey.
