Unjust decision on hunting ban

An article which appeared on the Daily Telegraph on July 27 under the heading Worst Killing Spree For Birds Of Prey, David Harrison shows how unbalanced and irrational the decision taken by our government to ban hunting from mid to end September in order to protect raptors truly is.

"A record number of birds of prey were killed in Britain last year, with buzzards, peregrine falcons and golden eagles the worst hit. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds received 262 reports of birds of prey being illegally shot, trapped or killed when their nests were destroyed in 2007, compared with 185 reports the previous year - a rise of 40 per cent.

"According to the society's annual Birdcrime report, published today, there were also 49 reports of birds of prey being poisoned, including 17 red kites - the highest number recorded in a single year - and one member of the only breeding pair of golden eagles in the Scottish borders.

"The society said the real figure was much higher because many crimes were in remote areas where they remained undetected and unreported.

"Many hen harriers - which eat grouse - were understood to have been killed on grouse moors and peregrine falcons shot because they preyed on pigeons. Red kites were often poisoned when they scavenged on carrion of animals killed by illegal toxins."

Considering that in UK the rate of such crimes went up by 40 per cent on the previous year, also that most cases were in remote areas where they remained undetected and unreported, it would have been opportune for the UK government to ban hunting in order to protect raptors. One wonders why it did not!

Malta's government decided to tackle this problem in what it considers to be a fair and just manner.

Not being able to police a mere 118 square kilometres of hunting area properly due to inadequate and overworked police officers and having no control over the few renegade shooters, that notwithstanding the ban, will persist in their illegal activities, the government decided to ban hunters during the Birdlife and CABS raptor camp in order to save face.

This unjust decision, apart from being another failure on the government's part to offer a solution to the problem of illegal hunting, is unfair on all law -abiding hunters who, after experiencing the spring hunting farce enacted by our government, are now facing another injustice.

It is here also worth mentioning that the suggestion by our association to direct all fees collected from hunting licences, which amount to a very substantial sum, towards the setting up of a purposely-trained environment warden unit has been ignored by the government.

Indeed, the UK government, notwithstanding its alarming rate of crimes against raptors, would never contemplate such a draconian measure. It believes in its officers of the law.

It does not unashamedly await raptor camps to point out any illegalities and it also does not allow birding societies to dictate what action it should take.

But, above all, it shows respect towards the legal hunter and his right to hunt during a period permissible under EU regulations even when illegalities are known to occur on a scale much larger than in Malta.