Air Malta flies Sigmar home!

Natalino Fenech

The injured lesser spotted eagle found with gunshot wounds in Birzebbuga on Sunday was yesterday given VIP treatment by Air Malta, which flew it back to Germany.
Though the bird was on its way to Africa before it was shot, it had to be returned home where veterinary surgeons will try to repair the damage caused by gunshot to one of its legs.
It is not yet known whether the bird has any other internal injuries.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority made the necessary arrangements for the bird to be returned to Germany after the police handed over the bird to Max Farrugia, of International Animal Rescue.
Though the bird flew to Malta on its own steam, several certificates had to be produced to enable it to go back to Germany. Renè Scicluna, of the Malta Falconry Centre, provided the special box in which the bird was flown.
Sigmar, as the eagle has been called in the German press, was flown to Frankfurt, where volunteers from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) took it to the Veterinary Medicine Department of the University Berlin, where the bird will be examined and treated by Susanne Mueller, the resident lesser spotted eagle expert.
The shooting of the eagle caused quite a stir in Germany because it was one of 15 saved through an EU life project costing 1 million EURO in the state of Bradenburg.
A TV crew from the German national station ARD awaited the arrival of the eagle at Frankfurt airport.
A press conference is scheduled to be held this morning in Berlin by members of the CABS and the Environment Department officials from the Federal State of Brandenburg. CABS spokesman Axel Hirschfeld said nine TV stations and most national media and German press agencies have indicated they will attend the press conference.
"The Environment Ministry officials will speak about the eagles project while we will speak about what we saw in Malta."
"The shooting of the eagle is not an isolated case. We actually filmed a booted eagle being shot in Dwejra, Malta, on September 21 and we will be showing that video."
"We will speak about the government's action to curb illegal hunting but we will also speak about the threats we received and about the offensive language about us, even on the website of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation.
"In fact, we shall be writing to the Federation of Hunters of the European Community, of which the Maltese hunters' federation is a member, about the matter," Mr Hirschfeld said.
The Federation for Hunting and Conservation has condemned the shooting of the lesser spotted eagle.