Illegal Killing of Birds in Southern Europe

Across several countries in Southern Europe including France, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Malta and Albania, birds suffer from a wide range of illegal persecution: illegal poisoning, shooting, trapping and the theft of chicks for the bird trade are common practices.

Although migratory birds are protected under EU legislation, hunters continue to blatantly contravene the law in Spain, Italy, France, Cyprus and Malta. The authorities in these countries only pay “lip service” to the legislation but do nothing to prevent the killing of birds.

Albania has recently introduced a 2 year hunting ban but only time will tell whether the authorities enforce the legislation. Albania had become a destination for Italian tourist hunters because in the European Union, at least on paper, there are much stricter controls on what and when you can shoot.

The grim fate of migratory songbirds in Valencia, Spain, has been highlighted by a new video filmed by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), which also shows police not responding to a call-out.

Despite a clear EU ban on such practices, the Spanish authorities take no action against these installations although these are highly visible and are operated openly by their owners. Heinz Schwarze, CABS President said: “We have informed the police time and again but no one accepts responsibility”.

Champions of the Flyway is a major new international bird race that is being staged in Eilat, Israel on 1st April 2014.

While the racing might be light-hearted, the goal is to raise funds, so that BirdLife International can tackle the illegal killing of birds in Southern and Eastern Europe.