Dog attacks ducks

My husband and I came to live in Malta just eight weeks ago and have been made very welcome here. We have wonderful Maltese neighbours and all the local trades people have been more than helpful; nothing has been too much trouble.

As we do most days, we were walking back from town the other day and we were looking out for the ducks, as we always do. It has always been amazing to us that ducks live on the sea and recently there have been ducklings, 14 in one batch and 11 in another.

Very quickly they have dwindled down to three in each batch. We put this down to nature, then the other day we witnessed a young lad with a springer spaniel let loose. The dog caught a duck and people helped get the dog off, but it was obvious that the duck was hurt. The dog was put back on its lead for a couple of minutes only to be let loose again. It immediately went after the ducks again and this time no attempt was made to stop it. The dog must do this on a regular basis as it knows exactly were to go.

I found this very upsetting. The ducks are a big attraction; friends who visit Malta on a regular basis always ask about them and how they are.

I appeal to the owner of this dog to think about what the dog is doing. And what if a child had been feeding the duck - would the dog have hurt the child?

I hope I do not see this happening again. Other people saw it too and were as upset as we were. We love living in Malta and hope to do so for many years to come. Once again thank you for being such friendly people.