BirdLife calls for schools to be declared sanctuaries after protected bird is shot near seminary
BirdLife Malta has called for schools to be declared as bird sanctuaries, after it said that a protected bird had been shot near a school on Monday.The NGO said that on Monday, a teacher at the Archbishop's Seminary in Rabat, Malta, had made a "troub
BirdLife Malta has called for schools to be declared as bird sanctuaries, after it said that a protected bird had been shot near a school on Monday.
The NGO said that on Monday, a teacher at the Archbishop's Seminary in Rabat, Malta, had made a "troubling discovery" after investigating when he heard rustling in the bushes. It continued that the teacher found an injured European Honey-buzzard that had been shot. BirdLife Malta said that the teacher contacted the organisation as he was unable to get assistance from the Environmental Protection Unit and that a team was subsequently sent out to retrieve the bird and bring it to the attention of a veterinarian so that it could receive medical treatment.
BirdLife is now calling for a 200-meter buffer zone around schools to be designated as bird sanctuaries. It said that such a measure could significantly reduce illegal hunting in those areas, and BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana remarked that schools should be a place where students can learn to appreciate and connect with wildlife, "not where protected species are gunned down just outside their grounds".
"We've submitted this proposal to the Ornis Committee, and we don't anticipate any opposition from its voting members," Sultana commented.
The NGO said that Monday's incident marks the 22nd shot bird that the NGO has recovered since September 1st. It continued that among those shot birds, 12 were birds of prey, including species such as the Eurasian Hobby, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, and Eleonora's Falcon.
The organisation continued that in the last two weeks alone, 7 European Honey-buzzards, the same species as the bird that was shot on Monday, have been rescued. It added that other targeted species include the Common Greenshank, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, European Bee-Eater, European Turtle Dove, and Common Hoopoe. It said that police in both Malta and Gozo have rescued numerous other birds as well, "as the hunting season continues to take a toll on the peak autumn migration".
On the matter of birds of prey, BirdLife Malta said that they are especially vulnerable as they seek trees to roost, which makes them easy targets. It continued that hunting near schools not only endangers the wildlife but also puts the children at risk.
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