A few more hours and the season of spring hunting in Malta. Sunday day 17 April 2016 it is in fact the one chosen by the government of Valletta to start this hunting, a historical and traditional event, given that hunters have always been active on the island from March to May. For this year it was decided to grant licenses to 10 thousand hunters, who will be able to shoot at 5 thousand quail and 5 thousand turtle doves.
Environmental and animal welfare associations have long been on a war footing, in particular the classification of last year by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, according to which turtledoves are a protected species. Here because Bird Life Malta decided to monitor the entire season with twenty volunteers, to report any illegal activities.
The season will last a total of two weeks (the deadline has been set for 30 April). Among other things, from 1 to 3 April the first Maltese fair was by Caccia Village. The turtle doves have also been affected by a change in progress. Initially the Maltese government had talked about a maximum number of 11 thousand units, then dropped to the current 5 thousand.
Other changes include the two weeks overall (instead of three as required by the regulation), the two hours less per week as regards those in which hunting is allowed (two hours before dawn to be precise), while the limit of four birds per hunter has been maintained. In September, then, there will be the autumn turtle dove hunting season, reduced five to a month.