Thursday, 28th August 2008 - 09:04CET
German committee to send 'bird guards' to Malta
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has announced it will be sending 24 'Bird Guards' to Malta next month to monitor illegal hunting hot-spots and to record bird migration data.
CABS press officer Axel Hirschfeld said the 24 CABS activists will be conducting operations day and night between September 13 and 28. Their mission will be to record numbers of migrating birds and to report breaches of hunting regulations to the police.
“In this respect, CABS welcomes the Maltese government's decision to ban hunting after 3 p.m. in the period between September 15 and 30, Heinz Schwarze, President of CABS, said.
He said that the CABS conservationists reckoned that their presence on the ground in large numbers, equipped with video cameras and high quality optics, would further reduce the mortality rate of protected species such as Honey Buzzards, harriers and falcons.
“The CABS team members will be clearly distinguishable from 'normal' tourists by their jackets and T-shirts with 'CABS Bird Guard' printed in bold yellow letters on the back. In addition to their monitoring and recording operations by day, additional patrols will be mounted at night to locate illegal Quail and Turtle Dove electronic decoy devices,” CABS said.
Last year more than 300 such devices, including cables, car batteries, timers and loudspeakers were located and reported to the Maltese police. The operation will be organised and conducted in close cooperation with the Maltese branch of International Animal Rescue (Hamrun) and financed exclusively by donations from German foundations and individuals. The participants will come from Germany, Hawaii , Italy, Poland and the UK.
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Comments
For your own reasons you trivialise lead scattered in the environement, you further narrow it to water when the health hazzards are much wider and more immediate effects. In fact if the hunters put on the table food which has lead in it or it in turn has eaten smaller prey that was wounded by lead pallets before, they are indeed putting at risk their health, especially if children eat the contaminated food.
May I further susggest, you a quick google search on the matter,with words such as lead poinsoning, lead pallets in the environement etc... use your imagination and read. You might consider getting a new chemistry book thereafter.
However I am open to new information and re extend the invitation to johnrodger to supply us with the study that he quotes from.
I will not try to answer for Mr. John Roger, I am sure he can do so himself. I am on the other hand also sure, you are not one of those people who puts their head in the sand and assumes the monster is gone? A little like when we were little kids, 5 year old tops, closed our eyes and the boogyman would go.
I am certain that you posses ample intelligence to note that all those tons of cancerous lead pallets deposited around the environment every year is not seeping into the ground, absorbed by the crops you and I consume, further absorbed by animals that consume grass and that potentially this can further go down into the watertable?
If we don't agree about this threat, which is very real, then I assume that the hunting lobby does not even want to listen to logical facts.
Might you suggest that the lead pallets go into space ?
It might interest you to know that hunting was originally the pastime of the noble persons. It has been with us for ages.
Sir, contrary to the traditional pastime of hunting which has been with us for ages, it is only this fuss against hunting which started raising its head recently. The fundamental problem with the anti-hunting lobby is that they are not after law-enforcement but after abolishing hunting completely. This is resulting in not showing due respect to the law-abiding hunters who has every right to practise this pastime.
Modern society gets their food from working and buying their food from supermarkets. Only indigenous cultures can honesty say that they need hunting to survive. Where they still exist, these cultures have a deep reverence for nature and the creatures they hunt for their sustenance, mindful to take just enough and not any more. We in the so called civilized world have a lot to learn from them.
One American Indian saying goes,
"In our way of life, with every decision we make, we keep in mind the seventh generation of children to come, when we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully, because we know the faces of future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground, we never forget them".
A beautiful philosophy that stupid white man should adopt. I wonder who the real savages are.
Dear Hunters, your so-called hobby is nothing but destruction. Your future descendants will curse you for your sins. A suggestion - why don't you take your guns and pit them against the most formidable of foes - Man. There are plenty of conflicts around the world to choose from.
Have we lost our national pride or did we have any to start with?
Surely the Maltese hunters must be aware that steel, or even nylon shot , is more efficient and will end the harmfull polution of the water courses.
The lead content in water is very high now and will take many years to permeate through before vanishing.
Where are the birds? Have all the birds been slaughtered by the Hunters?
But where are the hunters?
I had no answer! And he drew up his conclusions!!!
We have a saying in Maltese:
"Il-Giddieb ghomru qasir"
These bird guards will not do the police's work.
Like any other person can do, they shall film any wrong doing and report it to the police -- they will not have the right to arrest anyone -- just a report.
Everyone of any Nationality can do this. This organisation is just doing it officially and is coming to Malta specifically.
I cannot understand what illegal immigration has to do with this issue neither. It is the German government's chioce not to share the mediterranean countries' burden -- these bird guards are not sent by the German government. Simple as that.
It is unbelievable how 2 things get mixed up this way; even more unbelievable how certain people cannot even distinguish these 2 simple things.
I really cannot understand it. What is your problem with German, English, Italian...or any EU citizen coming to monitor illegal activities and report them?? If you all hunters are sooooo law-abiding, then I am sure you should have nothing to fear. Obey the laws and you would be safe. It is twisted to say this is foreign interfierence, they are only observing and reporting illegalities. Something which the hunter should do to every poacher.
No downside at all, this is why I voted for EU membership
Living on a small island these hunters can bully people cause they know were they live and know their families, hunters are just angry cause these are foreigners, and incorruptable and wont be bullied, so a round of applause for CABS
Ray Bajada
CABS dont just visit Malta, they visit various countries were illegal hunting occurs,
As conservationists hunters should protest if illegalities went up by 40% in Britain, and complain with FACE about the raptor massacre in Germany.
I respect your passion, I understand that we will probably never convince each other, also can understand how a lot of hunters feel cheated by lying politicians, that would probably have pissed me off as well, but surely hunters must understand that they have a huge image problem. More of the same will not improve things. I also can understand that hunters must really love what they do, waking up in the morning etc, they have also helped protect part of our little countryside that might have been lost otherwise. There is a solution to every problem and I hope that hunters can be part of that solution, and that we can all evolve, move on, get along and improve our lovely islands and international reputation.
Can you kindly explain to me how you have come to the conclusion that hunting is a local tradition? Can you please tell me a bit about the history of local bird hunting and the methods used to hunt over the years?
Bear-baiting was considered a tradition in in England until the nineteenth century. From the sixteenth century, many herds of bears were maintained for baiting.Teeth and claws were removed, bears tied to a post and set-upon by trained fighting dogs. All in the name of entertainment. By the late 17th century "the conscience of cultivated people seems to have been touched" but it was not until 1835 that baiting was prohibited by Parliament. All the arguments that you use, were used back then. It was legal, dogs enjoyed it, traditional and people made money out of it. Sometimes, in life, we evolve, we move on, I am sure that you can think of a list of traditions that have changed in Malta mostly for the better of society in general.
As a nation we have always been a useless bunch at enforcing law and order. I guess if we can't do it ourselves, we should be grateful that these people are volunteering to do it for us, and free of charge too!
It's really embarrassing for me to read some of you making references to the war. Peasants.
But, like law enforcement, education has never been a priority in Malta either.
Maybe they can send down some volunteer finishing-school teachers for you lot too?
If you have indeed read comments appearing below, the objection to these CAB bird guards lies in that we do not need foreigners to control illegalities. We have the Maltese Police Force.
As for your repeated statements of your objection to hunting and being proud of it, well many individuals I know, hunters or not, say YES TO HUNTING AND TRAPPING - AND I WILL DO WHAT I POSSIBLY CAN TO DEFEND THEIR TRADITIONAL PASTIME!!
Furthermore, please do not be so generic in your statements. It seems you meet the wrong type of people. The law-abiding hunters I know DO NOT SHOOT AT PROTECTED BIRDS. Neither do they say "Jien jekk nohrog irrid nispara". I have long been awaiting some serious and concrete arguments from the anti-hunting lobby, but unfortunately this has been lacking.
Sorry, my view is that your statements are contradictory. You tell me that humans are above the rest of the animals, and I totally agree. Then you go on to say that you love animals, to which I cannot fully agree with you. You go on to tell me that I am negative because I have my doubts, when you say that....
I love animals, because I love my dogs dearly
But I just don't give a cahoot about birds, let them die at the hands of hunters because this is our passtime.
Will you confirm that you see nothing contradicotry in the above two statements ?
Dogs 1 - Birds 0
I still cannot belive that this started because of foreign bird guards...I guess tourists have spoken and spread the word, the local hunters are infamous. Let them guard the birds and report what they see. If Iget the likes of the A.gatt's, and Mifsud B's etc.. correctly they have nothing to fear because they declared that they always hunt by the law...SO WHAT'S THE CONTENTION HERE ?! Because they come from Germany ? So much the better, so you clear (or confirm) your name with foreigners.
This is the same as when they reason that they would rather be hunters than the victim of drugs. As if the only alternative to hunting and trapping is drugs. Or when they call it a sport. If it's a sport, why not suggest it to London 2012. I'm Maltese and I say NO TO HUNTING AND TRAPPING AND I'm proud of it. I hope I'm not interfering too much.
"Enjoy" your meal, something was killed for you to "enjoy" it. But you do not have a right to harm the environment for the rest of the population including your family. Which you do realise (I honestly hope) that your so called pass-time does. I do not have accept seeing spent cartridges lying in every field in this small island. I am sure the cartridges do not enhance the eco-system.
I do not have to eat "My Salad" with the risk of lead contamination (cancer!) you and your fellow hunters spray around.
I am not obliged to risk having the water table contaminated for the same reason mentioned above.
It is no use getting excuses to the type of, there is the power station emitting sulphur, at least something has been done about it, filtering, more environment friendly fuel etc.. apart from the fact that certain things are vital (power to hospital etc..) hunting is not vital and in any case, two wrongs never make a right.
@SZD
I serirously doubt your statement that you love animals. Yes humans are above the animal kingdom because there cognitive abilities are far superior, hence they should know better I suppose.
Yep actually we did report, just as any good citizen has the duty to report illegalities being they related to hunting, theft etc and by citizens I mean even hunters.
Why not give some substance to your comment. As it is it looks like a plate of pasta without sauce.
Maybe you may wish to know that I adore animals, however I place the human being above them and respect that these human-beings have a right to enjoy their legitimate and traditional pastime of hunting.
You seem to enjoy avoiding the actual argument while trying to be funny. Let;s leave this for the circus. Grown-ups deal with things differently!
My burgers siezed to exist, eons ago. People progress, others just dont make the line, of what ilk do you want to be ?
@Sylvana Zarb Darmanin - you statement is tantamount to a kiddo, rest assured I have no hidden or otherwise agenda against you, your double surname wow. And as far as I am concerned I answered all your questions on the subject. Maybe you should care to read on. Which one have I left out ? About the illegal immigrants ? Get a life, this is not the point here, is it? But yes I do have an opinion about it and rest assured that it is very humane which I def cannot say the same about your approach to other living creatures. Grow up dear countess.
RSPB state that illagalities rose by 40% in UK
Birdlife Malta says that illegal hunting is in decline in Malta.
Should these Bird Guards REALLY are concerned about saving birds, they should go where they can save most and wherever is needed most ! (and definitely that's not Malta).
Hunters have already been deprived of the spring season. Now they are being ALSO deprived from hunting after 3pm for a Full 15 days and this is being done only to ACCOMODATE THESE FOREIGN BIRD GUARDS. The article says they will be going around by NIGHT to search for illegalities.I really wonder how much respectful they shall be towards private property. I may be wrong, but they shall be watching hunters and trappers by day and then inspect their whereabouts by night. How can anyone ever expect hunters to see such people in good light!
PS. Why doesn't the goverment sack all the ALE department and save thousands of Euros and let these Guards stay all year round? After all, the ALE dept. is useless if we need to have these Guards!
Or maybe, you are trying to distract me from continuing with factual arguments in favour of the Maltese hunters. Whatever your hidden agenda, sorry, but I intend to continue to defend hunters, trappers and above all my dear country Malta!
For all you law abiding hunters, relax if you obey the law. Those 300 electronic callers belong to those handful of poachers.
Mr Lino Farrugia youre not above the law, youre just like us mortals, instead of protecting people breaking the law, you should organize those little picnics with maltese/FKNK flags and all, and make sure no-one is breaking the law, you owe it to youre FKNK members, at least those who hunt legally.
And to my surprise all you can talk about is that someone shot at a bee eater, or a turtle dove, with the same reasoning, if the law abiding hunters can't stop these poachers, what are the rest of the Maltese doing to stop what I have witnessed? NOTHING just moaning about hunting.
Most probably you didn't report the poachers because you had no phone, so did I.
Thank you for that article, had read it, actually proves what I was saying, I never said that the hunting problem was only local, you can read my earlier contributions if you so wish to. It saddens me when a bird is killed in Malta, Greece, the UK or Brazil, I am not into this fake flag waving bullcrap. We don't live in caves anymore.
Seeing that you are fond of the BBC, you can also look up:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7174663.stm
and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/6724623.stm
Slightly silly of you to assume that I know nothing about birds, just cause I don't shoot on them for fun.
take a look at this website from BBC news Uk that states raptor persecution in the UK has gone up by 40%. Check your facts before you comment on what you know nothing about,
Maltese hunters are being victimized by foreign busy bodies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7527359.stm
I hope CABS issues helmets as standard kit.
Yes, actually, very normal to see people from all over the world joining up and helping with animal and bird protection, I have helped out in Scotland, Thailand and Malaysia. Nobody ever told me to mind my own business and go back to Malta. Animals or birds, do not belong to anyone. They do not have passports.
There are people who kill for fun all over the world.In Scotland for example, golden eagles have been doing well but are still persecuted. A lot of farmers used to poison eagles in Scotland, thinking that they would kill chickens and lamb, now birdwatchers go from all over the UK, farmers are opening little b&bs, hunters are working as guides, they know the countryside and birds. The eagles are starting to breed again after hundreds of years, so is the kite, sea eagle etc. I am sure that you can google it.
You are loosing the hearts and minds of the general public, you had a lot of support before, stop blaming everybody
What irritates me most is that I pay the license and I'm deprived to enjoy my free time to hunt in the afternoons so that some bunch of foreigners can be comfortable with their binoculars.
In my opinion, these Germans are not welcomed by the government, but I'm pretty sure that they are threatening the authorities that if they don't come they would harm the tourist industry the way they did before, and this is called dictating.
But....next time you tuck into a McDonalds burger, maybe you can spare a thought on how it ended up on your plate!
Its no use attacking nations from history` s past, every nation has its dark side, mention to me one country in europe which can set an example? Anyway one has to be deplomatic in his words to make a sensiable argument or statement, and after all these watchers are free to roam our country side like me and you, the defference is that if they are going to see something illegal, they are reporting it to the police. The police would then have to enforce the law if the law has been broken. Otherwise the watcher can look furthure to the cause of bird ´ s life.
Thank you .. you hit the nail on the head ! Your comment just says it all..
I am neither in favour of hunting, nor against it. But I don't think a "Bird Guard" is a non-"biased" person. It's like having a referee wear a Manchester United shirt during a Man Utd match! I believe the Police do a good job! However, are penalties harsh enough for poachers? Poaching is making hunters cast a negative shadow in the general public's eye.
Is hunting the ONLY problem that concerns our fellow EU citizens to send in commitees? Come on! What about the "obligations" (as you put it) of fellow EU states towards us? Every other state looks the other way while we are being plagued by immigration problems (to mention one), yet a german committe decides to send persons over as watchdogs on this silly insignificant cosmetic problem! Again, I'm not in favour of hunting (especially during spring) But I think this is an unnecessary involvement.
My law abiding shooting has been cut short to accommodate these "birdwatchers".
Why might you ask why did the government stop all hunting in order to let these people roam free.
The answer is simple whilst allowing all the other problematic sectors you mentioned
to carry on whilst being monitored hunting was given a different treatment.
Can you please explain why!
i see no objection in my activity being monitored for any wrongdoing but i strongly object to having to be banned whilst monitoring is in progress
Unfortunately you do not seem to know what the word Democaracy means - Democracy means showing respect towards minority groups! I think it's time for you to go back to the classroom!!!
Didn't really get what you meant by saying I have some devine right to address you "not in your real name". Are you Sylvana Zarb or are you not ? What's this, some sort of kids play?
Are for abortions etc... I hope you really do not think that I would write against the murder of birds and then agree with abortions. If your depth of reason is so shallow, then I do not wonder why we will never see eye to eye about whether hunting is a past-time or merciless execution.
At those quoting figures of how much illegal shooting has gone up in the UK, Deutschland, etc.. Well done, that is a good start, it seems we are getting somewhere and please do keep on reporting them. I would suggest you also visit their countries as bird guards. Of course, these same people don't quote (do they care?) how much illegal hunting has gone up in Malta. Maybe they think its actuallly gone down.
You do know, a lot of things we have in this country are with foreign intervention. . We have the credit agencies watching over our financial instituations, the UN, ambassidors, the EU agencies, the ECB etc...
The bird guard thing seems to have struck a chord out of everything we have with foreign intervention. Why is this ?
God forbid I ever stain my hands with blood of any animal and bird, but if I was a LAW abiding hunter, foreign, local, Martian onlookers would not tickle my emotions as it seems this is tickling the hunters'. The reason being, that if I would practice my (so called) hobby within the terms of the law, I would not be scared stiff of any type of onlookers. But we know Mr. Mifsud, blue moons don't exist.
The same applies for illegal hunting.
Wake up Schmidt the worst raptor massacre was reported in Duren Germany by no other than the Bird Guards coming to Malta.
Indeed Maltese men are no saints but we are none less holy than our European neighbors.
It is people like CABS that want all to believe otherwise. Stupidly enough suckers like yourself believe and support them.
Their presence can only be considered as an invasion of another countries matters since much more of the same and worse happens in their own country.
The burning of Turkish immigrants, house and all, in Germany by Nazi supporters should explain what I am referring to. Are we to send "immigrant guards" to Germany?
If so I know of a Turk that might want to volunteer!! Would you like to join?
Another picture would be if these Animal Rescuers will be out to disturb legal hunters on public land or worse on their own land. That would instigate unneccessary trouble which they know would only worsen the hunters situation visavis public opinion after all these years of propaganda by various media. I appeal to hunters to let these guys be and let them enjoy our hot summer sun with dark green tops while searching the skies for raptors or whatever it is they expect. Hopefully we will have a couple of doves flying in to shoot a couple of shots which we are all eager to shoot after a 7 month break. Know your rights, stick to them but mostly hold on to them.
Hunters have nothing at all to worry about, It's not like they are going to break the law are they???? :)
Question:
If a tourist were to witness a theft, or some other crime, don't you think it's his duty to report it? So please do explain the difference!
Indeed did you ever see any German Bird guards or British ones for that matter when you lived in the UK.
Are you aware of illegal shooting in the UK. The RSPB noted an increase of 40% in reported cases of raptor persecution. CABS reported the worst raptor massacre in Europe happening in their own country. Yet they choose to come here.
These people are converging upon Malta is because they found a Government that is incapable and unwilling to control illegalities and takes the easy way out. Immagine banning all driving because the illegal driving element cannot be controlled. This is precisely what government has done with hunting.
They are taking advantage of our Government's weakness and using their presence to aid in using Malta as an example to all other Countries as Dimas would like it to be. The hunting illegalities that occur here are a drop in the ocean when compared to other EU countries.
I see no objection in protesting against illegalities that occur in other countries but first and foremost I would ensure they don't happen in my own back yard.
Migratory birds that visit Malta are an international asset and are of international interest. If Malta is unwilling or unable to protect them, then Europeans have every right to step in and do so. The Bird Guards will be operating legally. Feel free to go to Germany any time and protect something of theirs. I'm sure you would be very welcome.
@Malta's hunters - You can bitch and whinge and stamp your feet till they hurt, but you've lost. The international community wants ITS wildlife back. You hunters are a tiny minority even within your own country. 96% of the population want to enjoy the wildlife and the countryside, but your 4% want to kill everything that moves. The 96% wins. It's called democracy. Get used to it.
Meanwhile, CABS, Birdlife, the RSPB and various others STILL continue to blacken our name abroad, still continue to lie and exaggerate, still encourage tourism boycotts etc. And the government turns somersaults and bends over backwards to accomodate them. Ugh.
Are you living on the same island as I am? Are you for real? If I was a law abiding hunter, I would welcome any form of control personally, it would be a chance to show the world that the hunters in Malta are law abiding. If there is one group of people in the world that need better PR, it's the local hunters.
If everything is as rosy as you always tell us, then why worry?
There are people who kill animals for fun all over the world, the only difference is that in most countries, if you feel that someone is breaking the law,and want to report it, there are ways and means, here it's kind of impossible. It's hilarious how idiotic it sounds when someone mixes issues like abortion, immigration and hunting together.
This actually could be such a good opportunity for the local law-abiding hunters, weed out the thugs, help change local and international opinion.
Furthermore, what exactly is your line of thought? These foreigners have nothing to do with EU. Soon enough, you will be writing that the EU is giving you some divine right to always address me incorrectly and not by my real name. Do you have some hidden agenda, Sir?!
You suggested I go and guard the bulls in Spain. No, I prefer championing the cause of the Maltese hunters and trappers, whether you like it or not. Maybe you might opt to go and guard the unborn child in the EU, or the illegal immigrants coming to our shores.
May I assure you that the local hunters were never against supervision. What they are against is the intrusion of foreigners in local affairs, unfounded accusations levelled against them and the ignorance of many who have been brainwashed by abolitionists in our midst.
Finally, I augur an enjoyable huntng season to all Maltese hunters and trappers. Let no-one provoke you whilst practising your LEGITIMATE TRADITIONAL PASTIME. Have faith in our LOCAL Police Force and report any shortcomings you come across.
....in your own country?
Unborn children...what are you talking about? Maltese women travel to UK or Italy to have an abortion! Are you not aware of that? You might be living in a dream world or a dream island. Drugs...have a walk through Paceville on a weekend. And not to forget prostitution in Malta -Maltese men are no saints believe me! Time to wake up Mr.!
indeed Mr. Farrugia why do they not act as Bird Guides in their own country. Rather than shame our country. they certainly have more to guard in their own country.
the fact that you seem to readily accept their presence only shows what little respect you have for your country and its administration.
What else would you like foreign guards to protect. Our police, politicians, our courts.
if the faith you have in your country is so low why not offer your services as a guard to abortion, prostitution, drug dealing, the Mafia, bird massacres. Indeed as you suggested the UN needs your sort. Malta does not!!!
fortunateley illegal hunting in malta is in decline yet far less than (unfortunately) other eu countries.
As the police have failed to contain and stop the abuse ..we have to let someone else who is not bias to do the job.
They are coming here to help to ensure that nobody breaks the law. I repeat, nobody breaks the law.......you have every right to go to protest in another country if you feel so passionate about any topic, I did my share when I lived in the U.K. Nobody ever told me to go back to Malta and protest about whatever they thought might be unjust there. Birds are not the property of anyone, our children are starved of any sort of wildlife, if you guys want to be so patriotic and want to protect our kids then do something about it, and stop being such provencial queens
In my opinion, people in general are just pointing out the negative aspect of hunting and trapping whilst they are forgetting their positive things.
This IS an issue about hunting and nothing to do with what you write about foriegners trampling us. Hello, we are in the EU no one is trampling us!
You can go do the same and guard the bulls in spain, not that I expect you to do so of course for the same reasons you do not champion birds' lives here in Malta.
@M. Mifsud Bonnici
What you reason in your writing lacks logic. So you claim that the German Bird Guards should not be here because in there own country there are "people" killing birds. Effectively breaking the law and thus to be condemed.
So with the same reasoning, the UN should not have gone into Kosovo, Afghanistan, etc.. to protect lives because in countries making up the UN there are countries that harbour people who have killed. Like USA and the KKK + many more examples. Yes the UN shoud've let massacres to continue.
Fact is, local authorities have not been able to keep up with infringements, so any help from outside is welcome.
Local hunters are against supervision which brings further regulation after reporting of the flagrant abuse of the present laws.
"We don't need people from abroad to come and moniter us... or better taking birds out of the freezer and saying they were killed by maltese hunters."
This statement alone proves that we do need foreign monitors.
Hunting is one of the 3 major horrors of Maltese society along with Feast Petards and littering. If it needs foreigners to do something about it then they are welcome!!
http://www.komitee.de/en/index.php?massacre_dueren
"Düren: Now 83 dead birds of prey in 15 months! CABS uncovers Europe’s largest ever raptor massacre."
They actually confirm that Europe's largest raptor massacre occurred in their own country, yet see it fit to guard birds in Malta.
I am sending a letter to the editor which I hope he will publish, since most readers are under the impression that what these people say about Malta is the truth. The situation in their own country is far worse. Yet they prefer to comment about others.
Unfortunately reading some of the comments below, some suckers in Malta believe such lies. And actually welcome this filth.
These people are only here because their pressure might impress the EU into "setting an example to all other countries" as commissioner Dimas stated.
Their name says it all "The Committee Against Bird Slaughter "
Ornithologists indeed!!!!
You simply cannot dress this up as something it isn't. Its nothing to do with 'patriotism'...what an utterly ridiculous and pathetic argument.
And a big WELL DONE and WELCOME to the couragious Germans who are so committed to nature and so passionate about protecting gods beautiful and harmless creatures on our island.
Many commenters here have hit the nail on the head....we Maltese have family, friends or colleagues who are hunters and simply do not have the balls to stand up to them for whats fundamentally right and wrong.
For those of us who claim to be against hunting;we are just as bad as the hunters if we stand idly and allow then to continue.
Shame on us.
And yes we do not want these kind of tourists (24) who stay in a field counting pebbles all day long but we want all those tourists back who BLM and CO managed to detter from Malta!
Interferance ot it's best!!!!
At last ,well done. We have been waiting for such an action for some time now, altough I am sure that the majority of the hunters will keep on breaking the law as usual. Lets hope I am wrong!
Here is a way to 'pay them back', just obey the law and make them have wasted a whole lot of money to be here!
After all are tourists expected not to report crime? Would that be "foreign interference'?
Hunters need not to be afraid. Hunters will also need to be assisted by police while such strangers are going to walk freely on their private land.
@F.Farrugia
They are coming to Malta to act as a police force. There are too many cases where CABS in Malta were involved in provocation cases, vandalising hunting areas and destroying bird lures and nets. If BLM wants to be considered as credible, why does it refuse to let the hunters' associations to be part of this monitoring????
@ Wilfrid Buttigieg
PLEASE, try not to be ridiculous!!!!
If any individuals from the anti-hunting lobby intend writing in and mentioning the few hunters who break the law, well, we do not need foreigners to control our internal affairs, be it hunting or any thing else. We have our Police Force.
THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE REGARDING HUNTING. THIS IS AN ISSUE OF FOREIGNERS TRAMPLING UPON THE MALTESE CITIZENS. WHERE IS OUR PRIDE?!!!
In malta nothing is ever concluded, there are too many toes to step on.
I really hope they will be of help to monitor these cowboys.
Until recently hunting in Malta has always been rampant and its now that hunters are realising the damage this has brought upon themselves. It might not be too late for them but they have to start controlling the hunters themselves.
Before anyone tries to boast about any biased national 'pride' - we need to acknowledge that we are part of a global village, where our survival depends on full respect of Mother Nature - moreover most are sick and tired with the pretensions of hunters, who hijack the countryside.
It seems that a Maltese chap who blasts birds down from sky, sprayinglead pellets, from dawn, and wards off anyone who is seeking a peaceful time in the limited countryside is fine. Whereas any non-Maltese who dedicates his/her time to protect Nature and respect laws, is despised.
Why aren't there any Maltese Bird Guards? Well just possibly, the spate of arson and physical attacks may have a bearing!
It is peculiar why some self proclaimed 'law-abiding hunters' have posted comments against such passive 'watch' - what is the problem?
It is common knowledge that the handful of ALE officers and so-called 'law-abiding hunters' spread across the countryside have not deterred repeated abuses...thus all hands on deck pls - whatever creed, colour or flag.
However, I now see it as Mr David Buttigieg does. They are coming here for bird-watching, as tourists, shall we say. They have every right! No provocation at all.
If hunters are so patriotic, they would abide by our laws. It would have been great if the hunter's federation managed to control it's members, but clearly not. They seem to spend more time having a go at anyone who does not agree with them then educatevand develop the rogue hunters. I am sure that these unselfish humans would spend their time enjoying Malta if they could. I cannot see why law abiding hunters would worry about this really.
Amazing how much assistance we find (or are forced to accept) to curb illegal hunting but not for dealing with illegal immigration stemming from Libya. Is a bird more important than a human life? Where are the priorities?
I'm sorry to say but you seem are one of those who likes to be colonised by others. We need germans to control us? Is that what you want, other countries to tell us what to do? I will never let any country to command us and put us back to colonial ages.
"I'd also like to see foreigners taking certain positions where discipline is needed. " -- I completely disagree with such comments. These comments were accepted in the british era but not now! We don't need any foreigner to take certain positions, we have our own people our own men.
Shame on you for such anti-patriotic comments
We are in the EU and the Germans have every right to be here like we have right to be in Germany. All I can say is a big thank you to these people for taking time off from other personal things and coming here to help us Maltese to protect the birds and the environment from trigger happy, gun totting wannabe cowboys.
I suppose we all know that with the hunting season closed the hunters still hunted birds, anyone who rambles around in hard to go places knows this well.
Just 4 weeks ago I was on the helicopter sight seeing over gozo. On one of the slopes there, hidden from all, a hunter in his hide waiting for his prey! Lovely, can anybody hand on heart, trust hunters for self regulation? If Lino Farrugia himself has recently lost a case in court!
how about that !
A gutless government unable to (or unwilling to) fairly and equally enforce the laws resorts to alowing these extremists frree rein in our countryside. A gutless government that resorts to collective punishment due to its inability to curb abuses by a minority. A gutless government that has prostituted itself by falling over backwards to accomodate these people at the expense of Maltese citizens. A gutless government that is being led by the nose by Birdlife and their lies to accomodate their interests.
And now, after paying our hunting licenses for the full year, after waiting for 8-9 months to practice our hobby, these German "bird guards" will be policing us! Provocative? You bet!. Talk about waving red rags in front of bulls!
Well done!
Maltese have the buddy buddy attitude which will leave all at a status quo.
We amateurs require professional actions to get things straight on this undisciplined island which is often led by lawless and arrogant bullies!
Look at the way we drive, look at bus drivers and their toxic polluting buses
Look at the GWU's militant approach trying to preserve a dockyard which has has WASTED millions of Lm in taxes.
Look at our streets and 'landscaped gardens' on the sides of our roads - full of litter.
Look at our countryside - a year long crackdown is not enough.
Look at the lawless youths still smoke in Paceville and public places!
What national pride??? Thanks for coming.
Police protection is reccomended, since you will probably meet some lawless bully during your stay.
All this is a provocation to hunters....
We should all stand up with one voice on this!!! Germans have enough on what to guard for in their own country...
Leave us in peace please!!!
Although I am not in favor of hunting, this will be clearly provocation to the local hunters.
Dear CABS, it will be better of you spend the money by taking some illegal immigrants from here, rather than interfeering in the country's personal issues.
Let us just hope that nobody decides to take a couple of pot shots at the bird guards - that would really be the cherry on the cake!
To start with the dove community breeding at Santa Marija Estate are Eurasian Collard Doves and not Turtle doves. Despite having the spring season closed for the first time in history, there is not one breeding pair of turtle doves on the islands. Secondly, the collared doves have been thriving quite healthily for the past few years even with both seasons being opened therefore why you imply that now their "destruction" is imminent baffles me. On second thoughts not really though... the typical ad nauseam biased statements form BLM members are becoming the norm of the day.