French Macron government killing godwits, curlews, turtle doves

This video is about black-tailed godwits and a marsh sandpiper.

In the Autumn 2018 issue of Vogels, the magazine of BirdLife in the Netherlands, page 2, BirdLife director Fred Wouters criticizes the policies of the French Macron government on killing birds.

Research shows, Wouters writes, that 50% of Dutch black-tailed godwits fly to their wintering grounds via France. France, where the government plans to make shooting black-tailed godwits legal again.

Wouters says that BirdLife objected to the killing to French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot. Unfortunately, recently Mr Hulot resigned as minister as he was sick and tired of the anti-environmentalism of the rest of the Macron government.

Killing curlews is also still legal in France.

This is an Eurasian curlew video from Sweden.

We know, says Wouters, tha about half of Dutch curlews winters in France or passes there during migration. For 84% of Dutch curlews, their cause of death is hunting; all of it in France. To stop that, BirdLife in the Netherlands will make 2019 the Year of the Curlew.

And then, there are turtle doves.

This video is about turtle doves.

In the 1970s, some 35,000 to 50,000 turtle dove couples nested in the Netherlands. Now, only 1,450 couples are left. There are multiple causes, like anti-environmental agribusiness. Also, many hunters in France shoot turtle doves. Also, French hunters travel to European and African countries to kill turtle doves there.

It is time to stop the hunting of these migratory birds.

Stop killing meadow birds; Internet petition here.