EU Lifts Hunting Ban on Turtle Doves in ‘Reckless’ Move

EU Lifts Hunting Ban on Turtle Doves in ‘Reckless’ Move

The European Commission has lifted a ban on hunting vulnerable turtle doves for sport. The commission announced that EU countries could reopen the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) hunting season in areas of Western Europe. The reopening followed a pause on hunting the birds initiated in 2021. “The Turtle-dove did its part. Left alone, it started to recover. But governments failed to uphold their end of the deal. Instead of fixing weak …

The ban, in force since 2021, has led to an increase in the number of turtledoves, a globally vulnerable species that is close to extinction in the United Kingdom.