ZAGREB, January 13, 2019 – Poachers kill at least 40,000 common quails each year in Croatia, while activists of the Croatian society for the protection of nature and birds estimate that this number goes as high as 100,000. Therefore, the activists of that society and of the Biom nongovernmental association have declared 2019 to be the year of common quails.
Mate Zec, a Biom coordinator for prevention of poaching, has recently said that in 2014, an estimated 40,000 birds of this kind were poached, however, the real statistics may be two and a half times higher. He also warns about the use of illegal hunting means such as quail decoys.
The Croatian hunting legislation prescribes prison sentences of up to three years for the use of illegal decoys. Nevertheless, bird preservation activists detected as many as 51 common quail decoys last year.
From August to October, tens of thousands of common quails migrate over our country, and many of them do not survive the journey due to the use of hundreds of decoys, says Tibor Mikuša of the Croatian society for the protection of nature and birds.
The Biom association warns about inadequate capacities in Croatia for prevention of poaching, and a low public awareness about the harmful effects of poaching.
More news on the nature protection issues in Croatia can be found in our Lifestyle section.
