On the 12th of October each year the hunting season for thrushes begins in the Valencia region of Spain, despite the fact that thrushes are a protected species.

The method used is ancient and it involves putting a kind of glue on the branches of trees so the birds’ feet get stuck causing them tremendous physical and psychological suffering. The hunters then pick the thrushes up and with a sort of racket hit them to death.

Although this practice is illegal under European law (since 1986) and the Valencian government has been officially warned by the European Commission that the next step will be tough economic sanctions, the hunting goes on with many other species of birds, many also protected, falling victim to this primitive, morally unacceptable ‘tradition’.

Spain is not the only country where songbirds are hunted in cruel ways.  In Italy (where they blind birds that then sing constantly in anguish thus innocently attracting their own kind to their death), Malta, Belgium, France etc the massacre of song birds, under the excuse of being ‘traditional’, still survives.

What You Can Do

You can write to the addresses below and express your horror at the cruel mass destruction of these fragile, harmless, cheerful songbirds.

Presidente of the Valencian Generalitat Mr. Francisco Camps
C/Caballeros, 2-46001-Valencia, Spain
Telephone 34-3866100
Fax 34-963986643
francisco.camps@gva.es


Conseller Mr. D. Rafael Blasco
Generalitat Valenciana
Consellería de Medio Ambiente C/ Arquitecto Alfaro 39 46012-Valencia, Spain
Telephone 34 963866350
Fax 34 963865079
blasco_ rafcas@gva.es