The German-based Committee Against Birds’ MURDER (CABS) has publicly asked for the closure of the hunting season after its activists who at present roam the Maltese countryside reported seeing “hundreds” of birds of prey shot down on Saturday morning in the course of a few hours. Thousands of birds of prey had in fact been observed on Friday evening, when no illegal hunting was reported, which birds in turn roosted in some wooded areas. CABS added that they are preparing a report about the “massacre” which will be submitted to the local Environment Ministry and also to the EU relative Commission.

The Federation for Hunting & Conservation – Malta (FKNK) as always condemns all means of illegal killing of wild birds, and will never stand by anyone who performs such acts. Furthermore the FKNK repeats that it will disqualify any member who is convicted of any serious crime such as is being alleged by CABS.

However, and before proceeding with further measures the FKNK would like to advise that:

Collective punishment is NOT the way forward, especially when no solid evidence of “hundreds” of birds being illegally shot is produced. On the 10th of May 2007, the Malta Government imposed such a collective punishment by abruptly and unjustly closing the hunting season because it alleged that a “massacre” of birds of prey by hunters took place the day before. To date, 500 days later, not a single shred of evidence has been brought to light, nor has a single person been arraigned in court as a result of the “massacre”.

Those very few untouchables who persist in illegal doings of the sort will not stop unless the protection they may enjoy, from any quarter, is not lifted for good.

For the last three consecutive years, the Malta Ornis Committee had recommended that hunting should NOT be banned during the last fortnight of September, citing as one prime reason that those few who still want to shoot birds of prey that come to roost in the evenings will do so in the early hours of the following morning. However, both last year and this September, Government seemed more inclined to accommodate CABS and let them freely roam the Maltese countryside and so closed the season on both occasions.

During a meeting that FKNK officials had last week with top Police officials, the Police informed FKNK that:

It was due to the involvement and cooperation of FKNK alone, that for a good number of years now, Buskett gardens has been rid of any illegal shooting. Not just because of the Police, not due to BirdLife (Malta) or any of their foreign allies, but thanks to the FKNK.

Any foreigner or local may be free to roam the Maltese countryside, even play policemen and report any illegal sightings; however the right of enforcement rests on the Police corps alone.

Out of the odd 260 reports of illegal hunting that BirdLife alleged to have received, the Police to-date have only arraigned 7 persons with hunting related offences, out of which only 3 refer to illegal hunting.

The FKNK at the end thanked the Police and confirmed FKNK’s further cooperation.

In the coming weeks, the FKNK will be commencing legal proceedings against CABS personnel. A case should arraign in Court two CABS activists primarily for trespassing besides other offences, whilst the second case will be against the organisation as a whole including against CABS prime motivator, David Conlin (also a Life member of both BirdLife Malta and RSPB) who has been recorded as stating that CABS next plan is to completely ban hunting and trapping activities from the Maltese islands and that they mean to do this by “keeping up the pressure (on the Maltese) relentlessly.”

This premeditated, provocative and confrontational plan has nothing in common with bird protection and this agitation and tension being caused by the CABS paid activists at present in Malta, besides other related incidents being submitted by FKNK members, will form part of a report that the FKNK is compiling that will eventually be distributed as necessary including to the EU Commission.

Lino Farrugia
Secretary – FKNK