BirdLife condemns Victoria Lines vandalism
Tolga Temuge, executive director, said BirdLife condemned any act of vandalism and statements that were inciting hate and intolerance.
"Our campaign in Malta is about hunting in spring and the killing of protected species which are both illegal in the EU. We strongly condemn any attempt that is aimed at diverting focus from real issues of conservation,” he said.
BirdLife said its staff and volunteers have joined other international conservationists who are currently monitoring raptor migration in Messina, Sicily, once notorious for its illegal hunting.
"The mountains of Messina used to be renowned as an illegal hunting hotspot until conservation organisations ran a successful campaign that put an end to poaching in Sicily in the 1990s," the society said.
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Dion Borg
May 3rd 2008, 22:05
Mr. Formosa, is BirdLife or anyone else precluding you from enjoying your land?
And let's see if anyone guesses why BirdLife HAD TO fence off (albeit in vain) the PUBLIC Nature reserves?
Richard Cachia Zammit
May 3rd 2008, 20:12
A Formosa, you know very well why nature reserves run by Birdlife are surrounded by fences. Yes because as soon as there is a rare bird, poachers would try anything to get their hands on it. It happened more than once. And nature reserves run by Birdlife are open every weekend for the general public to enjoy, because who really has nature conservation at heart is not egoistic but wants to share it with others. All acts of vandalism should be condemned, including illegal hunting which unfortunately is still too widespread here in Malta.
g.grech
May 3rd 2008, 19:06
Dear Tolga,
Is the below what you intend with "Our campaign in Malta is about hunting in spring and the killing of protected species which are both illegal in the EU. We strongly condemn any attempt that is aimed at diverting focus from real issues of conservation”?
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/campaigns/hunting_and_trapping/reclaimyourcountryside/
Reclaim Your COUNTRYside
4% of the population (hunters and trappers) gets to enjoy the majority of the limited countryside available in Malta. They have access to it; they have made it their own; and, venturing into these areas is done at your own risk.
According to MEPA agricultural land covers 49% of the surface area of the Maltese Islands. Natural vegetation (the countryside) covers 22% and urban areas cover 23% respectively. Hunting is allowed all over the Maltese islands except for bird sanctuaries, urban areas and their buffer zones. The bird sanctuaries where hunting and trapping is strictly prohibited represent approximately 5.2% of the area.
The bird sanctuaries as outlined in the Legal Notice 79 of 2006 include Ghadira, Is-Simar, Buskett, Comino, Filfla, Girgenti, and Il-Qawra in Gozo. However a significant part of the “bird sanctuaries” listed in the Legal Notice also consists of the following areas:
Luqa Airport
Ta’Lambert Heliport
Addolorata Cemetery and other cemeteries in Malta and Gozo.
Marsa sports ground
Portes-des-Bombes and the surrounding bastions
Manoel Island
and Radio stations operated by the Department of Civil Aviation!
Therefore, the majority of the Maltese population and the tourists visiting our islands are left with a very small area within the countryside where they can enjoy nature without being confronted or disturbed by the hunters and trappers.
I will leave it up to the general public to decide who we are to beleive.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
May 3rd 2008, 18:19
Mr. Scerri, VERY INSULTING INDEED!! Do you really believe that you will be superior by degrading others? On the other hand, if you really believe that hunters cannot write correct English, are you confirming that this vandalism is the act of the anti-hunting lobby?
The hatred many have against hunters is blindfolding them in their actions and comments. All bad things are being attributed to hunters. If you were all to realise the mental violence you are committing on the hunters and their dogs, you should really feel ashamed! Please show some respect towards your fellow citizens.
Ant Anthony
May 3rd 2008, 18:18
Yeh right,I can just picture it, a family enjoying a family day out in the country side, taking a spray can and claiming their stake in country side.How naive do they think the people are? That it should be condemned as an act of vandalism,is true for one and all.Birdlife came out condemning the act with no hesitation.That is a good thing now we have on both Birdlife and the FKNK in patrolling and preserving our country side.
While we are at it I hope that FKNK will condemn those who spray can RTO all over the country side rouble walls, those who erect hunter hide-out huts without MEPA permits as I am sure that they all have MEPA permits for doing so, I am certain that hunters wouldn't dream of doing any thing illegally in our country side!!.
David Muscat
May 3rd 2008, 17:55
Dear Mr Formosa, are you serious when you say that birdlife volunteers trespass private land? What about hunters who arrogantly trample through private land with their dogs, in garigue or woodland, arable land of vegtables or fruit trees ...practically everywhere?!?! I have repeatedly reported to the police the trespassing of hunters on my land of 14 tumoli in Wied il-Ghasel. After work I go there and find hunters' vandalism everywhere. Empty plastic cartridges litter the place. Their dogs ruin a potato field. A hunter chopped off 3 very old almond trees because they were blocking the view of his hideous hunting stone hut (dura). Moreover they enroach in the disused areas the MY land and plant Eucalyptus trees. To add insult to injury, each time I have the guts to approach them (remember they are carrying guns) they sacrastically tell me: "Is this land yours? Oh I did not know that!" Once I had to take the public notary's plans to actually persuade a squatter to leave my land. What did he do? He constructed another "dura" in the land just next to mine!! To insult me he shoots in the direction of my land and then sarcastically he tells me: "Oh I did not see you". Mr Formosa, I am so glad that spring hunting is BANNED. I am hoping that finally even the autumn season will be abolished. Then the Maltese population will finally live in peace in its countryside not yours.
Anthony Formosa
May 3rd 2008, 15:09
Mr Temuge I think it's a bit too late to condemn such act of vandalism, you contradicting yourself by saying that your campaign is only about spring hunting and the killing of protected birds? Was it birdlife who came out with the slogan of "Reclaim your countryside"? Including mine which is private, because birdlife never distinguished between, private or public, and moreover, land which is run by birdlife as nature reserves and surrounded by fence.
Scerri S.
May 3rd 2008, 14:56
This act is an insult to many people's intelligence. It is clear whose agenda it was to try and divert the attention back to whom...
I'm sure everyone can picture a group of educated, civilised, peaceful with cans in their hands spraying graffitti on a historical wall just to spite the disappointed, disgruntled (who are known to go around on a demonstration with a show of weapons and dead animals)
Yeah...right...
Well, at least the english is not misspelt! But I wonder why they didn't try to write it in Dutch, German or at least Italian.... then we (us dumb idiots you know) would be 100% sure of the identity of the perpetrators!