Conservationists appalled at illegal killing of 25 million birds a year in the Mediterranean

[n2doc]

John Vidal

The Egyptians line their beaches with fine two-metre high nets that can stretch for miles across the Nile delta and will catch any bird coming close; the Maltese will cover whole trees in nylon; the Cypriots smear branches in glue to stop birds flying; the Italians will kill nearly anything that flies and the French like to set metal traps for small birds.

But the sheer scale of the cruelty of the illegal wild bird killings around the Mediterranean which was revealed last week has shocked conservationists and bird lovers across Europe.

According to the first study of its kind, which has attempted to put a realistic number on how many birds are killed illegally each year, possibly 25 million chaffinches, thrushes, robins, quails and many other species are being shot, trapped or poisoned as they migrate to and from mainland Europe.

But what has shocked most is that strong laws have been shown not to be working and are being openly flaunted by hunters. Nearly half the 25m killings occur in EU states where the birds directive applies, and many other Mediterranean countries also ban the hunting of songbirds.

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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/26/conservationists-appalled-at-illegal-killing-of-25m-birds-a-year-in-the-mediterranean?9

[madamvlb]

1. This is disgusting.

[Lorien]

2. Why on earth would anyone do such a thing?

There needs to be VERY long sentences and steep fines for anyone who randomly slaughters wildlife. They put our entire ecosystem at risk!

[Igel]

5. Food. Profit.

Some songbirds can be sold.

Many are eaten.

Predatory birds are killed because they're the competition.

As the article says, tradition and culture. The same reason that First Peoples have special hunting rights in parts of the US and Canada.

The French and Italians are as close as it comes to being indigenous in Europe. Even if you insist that they're Indo-European speakers, most of their genes were there 5k and 10k years BP.

Sometimes it's recent population pressure that makes it worse, or a chaotic political or economic system. Albania was a basket case. Syria is, now. Egypt has a budget crunch for poorer citizens, and a lot of poorer citizens.


First Ones should know these things.

[hfojvt]

3. 25 million sounds like a lot

but how many birds die each year in the US by flying into windows?

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. to eat them? for what.purpose