by David Lindsay

With last spring's hunting season having been brought to a sudden and early halt last May, and with reports of still more shooting on protected species surfacing this season, the Federazzjoni Kaccaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) secretary general yesterday said that, certain hunters engaged in illegal practices should not continue to be protected.

While the FKNK, the hunters' federation, has not been asked to verify reports of illegally-shot birds, Mr Farrugia said yesterday the organisation would do so if asked and that it would condemn any such illegality. BirdLife Malta on Sunday reported it had recorded the killing or injuring of no fewer than 16 different protected species this season during its Raptor Camp.

Speaking to The Malta Independent yesterday, Mr Farrugia commented, "We know that some hunters still insist on breaking the law and that they enjoy the protection of certain authorities."

He adds unequivocally, "This has to stop. We know of incidents in which certain hunters have been caught hunting illegally and had their firearms confiscated in the morning. But by the afternoon, their firearms had been returned to them and they were hunting again the same day."

As matters stand, the FKNK has submitted its self-regulation proposals to the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry and they have also been overviewed by the Attorney General. Foreign experts from countries that have implemented such systems are to be brought to Malta with a view to putting the system in place as soon as possible. "I hope that will be very soon," Mr Farrugia adds.

Asked about reports that Maltese hunters have been provoked by foreign bird watchers, Mr Farrugia was quick to clarify that such provocations had not been derived from members of BirdLife Malta's ongoing Raptor Camp but rather from members of the Committee Against Birds Slaughter (CABS).


Exemplifying one incident of such provocation, Mr Farrugia described how on Monday, a German woman and CABS member entered a hunter's private land, took hold of a cage containing a quail - one of two species that are legally hunted in Malta - and attempted to abscond with it. When the hunter approached her, he was physically pushed. A report against the German woman has been filed with the Administrative Law Enforcement unit.

"She was not from the BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp, but rather from the CABS, which is more a pressure group rather than ornithologists," Mr Farrugia added.

The FKNK on Monday took serious exception to the cessation of hunting after 3pm for 15 days this month, claiming the regulation had been laid out to accommodate BirdLife Malta's Raptor Camp foreign volunteers.

The government, however, clarified that, “"he sole reason behind the decision to stop hunting after 3pm for 15 days between 15 and 30 September was the need to protect law-abiding hunters from those individuals who ignore the law and irresponsibly shoot protected bird species."

"This decision makes even more sense in light of the events of May when a number of honey buzzards were shot down. In fact, the period chosen for the restriction on hunting coincides with the peak migration of raptors but does not coincide with the timing of the bird-watching activity mentioned in the FKNK's press release."

BirdLife Malta president Joseph Mangion commented yesterday, "We acknowledge the right of hunters to hunt at certain periods and on certain species, but that right carries with it the obligation to respect the law, respect third parties and help to stop illegal hunting. The FKNK administration appears to be desperate to move the focus from the issue of illegal killing of protected species."

BirdLife clarified that while it had no relation with a separate project organised by CABS, it welcomed "all efforts to act as a deterrent to stop the killing of protected species, as long as such efforts are carried out peacefully and within the law."

And with the FKNK seemingly intent on bringing politics into the hunting issue, Mr Mangion added, "The indiscriminate slaughter of protected birds in Malta is a concern for all Europeans and should not be used for short-sighted political gains by our politicians. No political party should think that they can gain leverage by appeasing one side over the other."