In the early afternoon of Thursday 31st August, a young Greater Flamingo alighted on the rocks in Xwejni Gozo, probably to rest from the bad weather out at sea.
While people were enjoying this beautiful sight, a person was seen shooting it down and carrying the Flamingo into a vehicle before leaving the site. The driver is understood to have aided the hunter to escape from the area.
Information that was reported to BirdLife Malta was handed over to the Gozo Police who are investigating this incident. It is understood that the police are undergoing searches on identified persons.
BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana stated: “Gozo has become a mecca of illegalities as bad as Miżieb and l-Aħrax and our hope is that the enforcement authorities takes the situation seriously.
We are also hoping that the public gives a hand in reporting similar incidents by sending all the information in a timely manner to us and the police. Such incidents in Gozo give us a clear indication that we need to start being more present on this island”.
BirdLife Malta Head of Conservation Nicholas Barbara added: “The bird migration season has started and as has happened every year, a number of protected birds – even during closed season – end up being targeted by hunters who disregard the law.”
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