From 1st to 10th September 2017 Association BIOM held the “Camp against illegal killing of birds” in the Neretva and Vrgorac area. A part from BIOM employees and volunteers, the camp was attended by members of association “Committee against bird slaughter (CABS)”, Public Institution for Management of Protected Areas of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, nature protection inspection, Metković Fire Department and police.

This is the first time that BIOM has carried out such a long field research, with the main goal to monitor and sanction poaching activities. The results are:

• 5 illegal hunting hides removed in ornithological reserve “Prud” on Neretva. You can read more about this here.
• 5  duck decoys removed in ornithological reserve “Prud”
• 3 quail lures reported to local police
• 1 fox trap removed near Vrgorac
• 1 poacher arrested in the vicinity of Vrgorac

The last result, the arrest of a man who has been in violation of the Hunting Law due to using quail lures, is particularly valuable to us. During the morning of 10th September 2017 a joint action was carried out between Vrgorac Police Station and participants of the “Camp against illegal killing of birds”, leading to this arrest. We believe that cooperation with hunters is also necessary in future actions, because a large part of the hunting community supports the fight against poaching.

We want to thank all institutions for cooperating and the members of CABS for their transfer of knowledge on how to tackle illegal killing of birds!

Within the project “Adriatic Flyway 3”, Association BIOM promotes Neretva Delta as a strategically crucial stop-over, wintering and breeding sites for migratory birds. The project is funded by EuroNatur and MAVA foundations.