Malta gives go ahead to shooting of 5,000 endangered turtle doves

Conservationists said continuing the spring hunt went against the best scientific advice and appealed for the EU to take action against Malta.

“The government has taken the wrong political decision,” said Mark Sultana, chief executive of Birdlife Malta. “Rather than giving weight to the scientific data they opted to open a season with limitations. We do not believe that there is enough will and resources to ensure those limitations will be kept.”

The turtle dove population has fallen by 96% in Britain since 1970 and its numbers have fallen across Europe by more than a third in the last 16 years.

“The EU must step in and enforce the law to save the turtle dove before it is too late”

Malta secured two opt-outs, or derogations, from the EU’s Birds Directive, allowing Maltese hunters to shoot turtle doves and quail as they fly over the Mediterranean island in the spring. These opt-outs are based on a European court of justice (ECJ) ruling, which permitted Malta to seek such derogations on the basis that the turtle dove population remained at a favourable level.

Eduardo Gonçalves, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s absolutely incomprehensible that the Maltese government can justify allowing the spring hunt to go ahead for another year. The science shows that the turtle dove is in serious decline but instead of listening to the science the Maltese government has bowed to a vociferous hunting lobby.

Liberal Democrat MEP, Catherine Bearder, said: “Now the bird has been officially listed as endangered, there is no way this hunting can be declared sustainable. The EU must step in and enforce the law to save the turtle dove before it is too late.”