Italy allows hunters to shoot 7.5m rare turtle doves: ‘This will accelerate decline until no birds are left’.

The Italian government has given the green light to hunting of the European turtle dove this autumn, despite the species being listed as “vulnerable” to extinction since 2015. The decision grants the country’s 500,000 licensed hunters permission to shoot a maximum of 15 doves each, which would amount to 7.5m being killed in total, according to Bird Guides.