Shooting pigeons

Last Sunday, while accompanying some foreign friends to photograph the various chapels in our countryside, we assisted to a shocking episode and some intolerable behaviour by some so-called hunters.

We were visiting the various chapels on the west coast of Malta, particularly in the limits of Dingli, when we heard some shots. At first I didn't think much of it as it is the hunting season and we had been hearing shots all morning. But than one of my friends pointed out that two people where shooting at pigeons. This made us look closer and to our shock and horror my friend had noted well.

In a field close by there were three men, two of which were dressed in camouflage. One was sitting down and had a cardboard box from which he was releasing pigeons, while the other two with shot guns where blasting them out of the sky, one by one.

To top it all up, along the path we discovered a freshly killed swallow, or rather what remained of it. It was obvious that someone had just blasted the poor bird to pieces. Needless to say we left the place in shock, disgust and in my case a great deal of shame.