More than 518 European Turtle Doves were shot in a single day in the oasis town of Tazirbu in southeastern Libya, according to Libyan wildlife conservation organizations that condemned the hunters’ actions.
In a statement released a few days ago, the Libyan Wildlife Trust described the incident as a shocking scene and a serious environmental crime that threatens Libya’s natural heritage and ecological balance.
The Trust called on national and local authorities to open an urgent investigation and enforce existing deterrent laws against anyone engaged in illegal hunting.
It also urged civil society and the media to raise public awareness about the dangers of senseless overhunting or illegal killing of birds. Furthermore, the organization stressed the need to strengthen laws related to wildlife protection and enhance field monitoring.
The unknowns not addressed in the press release
The statement did not specify how many European Turtle Doves are allowed to be hunted by each hunter per day (The daily “quota” or “bag limit” in legal hunting terminology).
According to the International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the European Turtle-dove (2018–2028), Libya has no hunting regulations. If this still the case, the condemnations voiced by conservationists and citizens rest on moral and religious grounds rather than legal ones.
It is not known whether the hunted birds belong to the European population (Streptopelia turtur turtur) or came from the local breeding subspecies S. t. rufescens, which occurs in south-eastern Libyan oases eastwards to the Nile Valley. Tazirbu is located on the western edge of the rufescens subspecies distribution range.