Following yesterday’s statement by BirdLife Malta, on what it said was the “irresponsible call by the hunting lobby on the Government to open a spring hunting season despite the delicate situation in the country,” the NGO said that yesterday to wrote to Prime Minister Dr Robert Abela asking him not to open the hunting season.

In the letter, delivered by hand, BirdLife Malta said it insisted that PM Abela should have the “courage to take decisions and should not give in to blackmailing tactics by the hunting and trapping lobby which considers itself as some privileged section of our society.”

BirdLife Malta argued that “the Government’s position should be clear: no hunting and trapping in these circumstances.”

In a summary of the letter to the Prime Minister, BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana said that in the current circumstances it would be “absurd and irresponsible to open a hunting season this spring.”

He said that, “from a conservation aspect, birds should not be killed on the way to their breeding grounds. Another important aspect to be considered is the fact that during an open season it would be next to impossible to control illegalities and the season would end up being a smokescreen for many hunters to kill protected birds.”

He pointed out in the letter that the derogation requires at least seven police officers for every 1,000 hunters – “something which appears to be impossible at the moment particularly because the ALE police unit is working full-time on Covid-19 quarantine inspections.”

BirdLife Malta also reiterated to the Prime Minister that “Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri does not have the legal right to implement any decision in regard to the law or in relation to the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU).”

“Due to this, in fact, to date the Ornis Committee has not been reconstituted. The law stipulates that before any decision is taken by the Environment Minister on the hunting season, a discussion has to take place at Ornis level,” he said

“Whilst it is only Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia who can take decision, BirdLife Malta hopes that he enjoys the full respect of the Prime Minister and will not be used as a rubber stamp to simply sign off decisions taken by Minister Camilleri,” the letter said.

BirdLife Malta photo, which it said shows a “highly-protected bird which ended up being targeted by illegal hunting in the past hours: a Black Stork sighted yesterday morning over Burmarrad with a blood stain to the chest, clearly evidencing a gunshot injury.”

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