Press Releases

Böddi-szék, September 29, 2004 13:30

Today, with Matáv's support, WWF Hungary launched its bird protection program called "Bird Crime" aiming at prevention of illegal hunting and trade which have recently been increasing. The objective of the program is to stop the killing and trade in protected birds, to create appropriate regulation of hunting and ensure its observation and to severely punish illegal hunters and traders. Over the next three years Matáv will contribute HUF 15 million to the success of the project.

Unfortunately in some foreign restaurants not only traditional poultry and game dishes are served, but also protected and strictly protected rare birds which are considered as delicacies. Over the last years a rising number of illegal shipments containing the bodies of protected birds have been seized by Hungarian customs officers at the border. It is obvious that we are dealing with organized illegal activity with the objective to satisfy the demand of such restaurants. The birds are generally shot in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia or Croatia with illegal methods and are transported through Hungary or Slovenia in trucks or cars.

One of the most serious cases in recent years was when customs officers halted a freezer truck with 11,600 shot birds. The frozen protected birds must have been shot in Bács-Kiskun county, the shipment's theoretical value was over HUF 308 million. The Italian hunters are now being tried at the Mohács City Court.

In most cases illegal hunting concerns protected and strictly protected birds, often shot in the area of national parks, ignoring the hunting season and the list of species that may be hunted. Most often quails, turtle-doves, larks, thrushes and finches are killed, but ferruginous ducks, corncrakes and other rare species endangered all over the world with HUF 500,000 theoretical value can also perish. In many cases illegal hunters use prohibited techniques, attracting songbirds with decoys and calls. Some unscrupulous hunters can destroy decades of work by conservationists through killing off the majority of the bird population in a given area and frightening them off their traditional migration routes.

WWF Hungary is launching a program with Matáv's contribution to protect birds. The "Matáv Gives Back" program contributes HUF 15 million and continuous communication to the whole society to the work of WWF in the interest of birds.
The objective of the "Bird Crime" program is to act against organized hunting and trading and create appropriate regulation of hunting. Those not observing these regulations must be severely punished for the harm done to nature.

One of the major tasks is to help the work of administration, customs and police authorities through collection and distribution of professional materials and information, holding further training courses and establishment of relations between the parties concerned. Another high priority issue is to call the attention of the public and the governments concerned to the damage and risks of illegal hunting and trading. WWF Hungary will lobby at national and EU level for stricter laws regulating hunting and trading and more strict policing to ensure compliance with laws.

As the kick-off event of the "Bird Crime" program, Matáv and WWF Hungary held a press conference at a strictly protected area in the Kiskunság National Park, at Böddi-szék where cooperation between them was announced.