This video sums up some of the illegalities observed by BirdLife Malta's Raptor Camp teams during the first weeks of the autumn hunting season 2022.
In just three weeks, over 170 illegalities were witnessed. Between the 1st of September (when the season kicked off) and the end of the month, a total of 28 protected birds were retrieved by BirdLife Malta and police with gunshot injuries. All these were confirmed as illegal hunting casualties by the government veterinarians.
The most common illegalities observed were the use of electronic callers, protected birds being shot down or others flying with evident gunshot wounds. A lack of police presence was also the norm of the day across the board.
The autumn hunting season runs until the end of January 2023.
Footage by BirdLife Malta, editing by Milena Berezina.
