Animal Protection > Worldwide Actions > Italy

Bird Protection in Italy

The twentieth Protection Camp, run by the German organisation Komitees gegen den Vogelmord (Committee against Bird Slaughter), in the North Italian Brescia province, ended on 24 October 2005.

Since the 1 October 58 members of the Committee, the Lega Abolizione Caccia (LAC) und Centro Soccorso Animali (CSA) have been conduction joint operations.

In the course of 3 weeks 3,132 bow traps, 256 fall traps, 108 nets and 15 other types of trap (lime sticks and snares) were found and removed. When the activities of the LAC weekend operations (funded by the Committee) and the work of the WWF hunting rangers are included a grand total of 4,580 traps and nets is arrived at.

This year's camp was characterised by the cooperation with the state forest police. During the complete period of operations Committee members discovered large and easily reached trap and net sites and led the forest police to them at night. The bird trappers could then be caught red-handed at dawn as they came to clear their traps. Some 13 illegal trappers were caught as a result of Committee operations.

It appears that the decline of bird trapping in lace North Italylace is proceeding apace. During the same period last year we confiscated almost 25 % more traps with less personnel effort. This year we did however find and remove more nets.

But operations are not completely at an end with the closure of the lace Brescialace camp. The hunting rangers will continue their patrols until 3 November and next weekend the first of 3 operations in lace on Sardinialace begin. Finally the Committee will be involved in a second bird protection camp in lace Brescialace again.

Report by Alexander Heyd, Komitee gegen den Vogelmord