By Natalie Ragan

Lee Karney/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

An osprey in flight.

Ninety miles south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, the small island nation of Malta attracts thousands of tourists every year with its rich history and aesthetic appeal. But Malta also has a dark side.

According to reports, in early 2007, British tourists in Malta were sightseeing with their children when they stumbled upon a purple heron who appeared to have been shot dead by local bird hunters. Horrified, the family immediately voiced their concern to the Maltese government and tourism authorities, as well as international and local bird conservation organizations, and publicly vowed to not return to Malta until it regulated any uncontrolled hunting of its birds.

Incidents like this are not new, however. An estimated 15,000 local hunters have allegedly been killing whatever birds they want, whenever they want—including endangered species. Malta is the only nation in the European Union to allow bird hunting in the spring, when numerous avian species fly north from the African continent, stopping on the island to nest and breed.  Malta argues that because the island hosts many migrating species, it needs a different hunting calendar from the rest of the EU—but the purple heron the tourists found died ten days before spring hunting season began.

And that’s not the only strike Malta has against it.

Malta began proceedings last year to allow the hunting of turtle doves and quail as they migrate through the island every spring. Some say, though, that hunters will shoot at any bird they see, no matter what the species. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ Graham Judge told BBC News earlier this year, “They are blasting at everything. While waiting for quail and turtle doves, they will use swallows and house martins for target practice.” Even more disturbing, these birds are seemingly hunted entirely for sport—their wounded and dead bodies left to rot where they fall.

Other birds found killed or fatally wounded in Malta have included bee eaters, kestrel, ospreys, marsh harriers, swifts, and kingfishers, not to mention a pallid herria, of which there are only 50 breeding pairs left in Europe.

In early October, Mr. Ray Vella, a longtime associate of Birdlife Malta, was allegedly intentionally shot in the face by a Maltese hunter. He survived with minor injuries, but the incident underscored the tension this issue has created.

On October 17, the European Union issued a final warning to Malta regarding spring hunting, which directly contravenes the EU Birds Directive, a system outlining the dos and don’ts of bird hunting. The Directive is intended to ensure that birds are not killed during breeding season or the period of return migration. 

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, along with organizations such as Birdlife Malta and Birdlife International, have been campaigning for the Maltese government to put an end to the island's cruel, off-season bird hunting. It’s too late for the many birds who have already died, but with continued pressure by the European Union and animal advocates worldwide, the Maltese hunters’ days of opportunity to kill birds illegally are numbered.