Pain and misery

Having just returned from a holiday in Malta I feel compelled to write on a matter which has caused me great concern.

After a pleasant lunch in the picturesque surroundings of Mistra Bay I decided to take a walk up the hill to admire the views. On reaching the top I heard the sound of twittering birds and went to see if I could take some photos of the local wildlife.

I was absolutely horrified at the scene which greeted me. Lines of small birds kept in tiny cages, but worst of all, some birds were tied up by their legs to stakes in the ground. They were fluttering and in obvious distress trying to free themselves.

Hidden away in huts were so called "trappers". How can such barbaric pastimes be allowed? Is there no such organisation as the NSPCA (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in Malta? I would have thought that there would be laws to prevent these poor birds being used as lures.

I can understand that there was a need to kill birds for food during the war but surely those days have long gone. This is just a cold-blooded and callous activity which must be stopped. Perhaps a policy of naming and shaming the perpetrators of these outrageous acts may help to bring these "pursuits" to a halt if the government is unable to enact laws to prevent trappers inflicting pain and misery on these defenceless birds.