Action against illegal finch trapping in Malta and Gozo
26.03.2025
Our ongoing bird protection camp across the Maltese archipelago has been running for three weeks now. Our Bird Guard teams have been busy scouring the countryside investigating finch trapping sites with clap-nets which despite being illegal, unfortunately continues to be a common phenomenon every spring. Finch species are popular cage birds in Malta and are also sold for profit on the black market. Follow our reports to police, so far 24 sets of clap-nets have been removed, more than 50 finches have been confiscated and transferred to a government vet and 10 trappers have been caught and will be summoned to court in due course.
Start of our spring operations in the Mediterranean
15.03.2025
In the Mediterranean many poachers are preparing their trapping sites now. That's why we are starting our spring bird protection camps. We will start in Malta, where we will take action against bird-trapping. In Lebanon, we started watching over stork roosts a few days earlier. On the Greek island of Zakynthos, we will be deploying teams for the third time to combat the widespread illegal spring hunting. Further campaigns will take place in northern and southern Italy and in Cyprus. By mid-May, we will have carried out a total of 9 missions with around 80 volunteers. Updates on the individual bird protection camps can be found regularly on our social media channels and on our website.
Online advert leads police to rescue birds of prey!
05.03.2025
During a house search in Ibbenbüren (NRW), police officers have rescued a wild caught goshawk and a buzzard. The two strictly protected birds had been illegally taken from the wild and offered for sale on the internet. Conservationists found the advert with photos of the birds on a classifieds portal and reported it to the CABS office in Bonn. During the search, the birds were seized and taken to a rescue centre, where they were released back into the wild. The rescue of the two birds is a good example of successful cooperation between conservationists, the police, the judiciary and the rescue centre.
You can find out more about our work against raptor persecution in Germany here.
Winter bird protection camp in Cyprus completed
02.03.2025
Several committee teams have been working on Cyprus since mid-January. Compared to the previous year, poaching activities on the island have decreased, which is mainly due to the lower numbers of wintering migratory birds there. Nevertheless, together with the police and game wardens, we were able to carry out several successful missions and convict a total of 13 bird trappers and poachers. The authorities confiscated 3 trapping nets, 117 limesticks and 12 electronic decoys. We would like to thank all participants from Italy, Slovenia, Great Britain, Cyprus and Germany for taking part. Although our winter mission is now over, our spring bird protection camp in Cyprus will continue in just a few weeks!
Golden eagle rescued by a CABS Team
13.02.2024
Our Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) in Lebanon has received a report of a golden eagle being illegally kept near Beirut. The owner gave several reasons as to how he got hold of the eagle and, after some persuasion, handed the animal over to us. The subsequent veterinary examination did not reveal any gunshot wounds. Golden eagles are very rare in the region and the origin of the bird is currently unknown. Unfortunately, the keeping of protected birds of prey and other large bird species such as storks, pelicans or cranes as status symbols is widespread in Lebanon. The golden eagle is now being nursed back to health and will hopefully be released back into the wild as soon as possible.
New study about trophy hunting in Lebanon
11.02.2025
Conservationists from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) have today published a study on illegal bird hunting in Lebanon in the renowned journal Oryx – The Journal of International Conservation published by Cambridge University Press. During the study we analysed more than 1,800 trophy photos published by Lebanese hunters on social media platforms. In total, more than 29,000 individual shot birds from 212 species were analysed and identified, ranging from eagles and vultures to swallows and blackcaps.
You find link to the article and our press release here
Successful operation in the Po Delta
13.01.2025
The Po estuary is one of the most important roosting and wintering areas for ducks, geese, waders and herons in the Mediterranean. Hunting is still legal and very widespread. Unfortunately, many hunters do not respect the law and either shoot protected species or use illegal hunting methods. This weekend, in the south of the vast wetland, a team from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter, together with the police, caught two people using illegal electronic decoys to hunt ducks. The perpetrators tried to escape in a boat, but were tracked by a drone and later arrested. Two decoys and two firearms were seized (photo).
To leave no stone unturned in southern France!
10.01.2024
This week, a committee team has inspected all known stone-crush trapping sites and surrounding areas in the departments of Lozère and Aveyron and found no active traps! It is the successful conclusion of a campaign that we first started back in 2006 and which ended with the ban on stone-traps in co-operation with our French partners at LPO. In December 2023, the Constitutional Court in Paris made a final ruling that this barbaric trapping method is not compatible with EU law. This means that stone crush-traps have finally become extinct throughout Europe, as even in Pavia (northern Italy) - the second known place where they were still used until a few years ago - no active traps were found during an inspection before Christmas!
Definitely a successful call for celebration! Read more here.
CABS Annual report 2024 - 337 poachers convicted
18.12.2024
Bird migration is over, the year is drawing to a close and it is time for our annual report. In 2024, a total of 216 volunteers from all over Europe took part in our 31 bird camps and over 50 smaller campaigns in 7 countries. 337 poachers were caught - 751 bird traps, 3,853 lime sticks, 477 nets, 190 decoys and 72 shotguns were confiscated. These are the results of our work to improve bird conservation over the last 12 months.
Details can be found in our 2024 Annual report.
Our bird protection time table for 2025 is also published - 23 of the 30 planned actions have already been scheduled. See our time table here.
Your donation makes the difference!
Your donation will enable us to fund our campaigns and bird protection camps throughout Europe, to keep up the fight for migratory birds. CABS is almost exclusively financed with private donations, from nature and animal lovers, as well as foundations and nature conservation associations. In order to stay independent, we do not receive public funds and we refuse business sponsorships. CABS is recognised as non-profit, thus, donations are tax-deductible. For a donation of 25 € or more, you will receive a donation receipt at the beginning of the following year.
