Lament of a law-abiding hunter

I have never shot protected birds, never hunted outside the open season and always respected non-hunting reserves; I make sure I observe the law. So why should I be concerned with the CABS and BirdLife watch? For those who are not completely biased against hunting, the answer is simple.

CABS and BirdLife's ultimate objective is very clear - they want hunting in Malta and probably everywhere else in the world abolished altogether. Their excuse of protecting raptors is a false pretence. In pursuing their objective they resort to all kinds of deceiving tactics including inflated numbers of birds shot over Malta and the use of photos of birds artistically placed to produce an emotional affect. I also question whether the same birds have been used to support more than one story. This would, at least, be as bad as the shooting of protected birds.

CABS and BirdLife are simply biased, self-appointed policemen who show little respect for private property, provoking law abiding citizens and using fiction to plea with the government to apply a blanket punishment on all hunters; we trust the government to be wiser than that.

Many argue that this policing, albeit illicit, is necessary because hunting organisations fail to curb illegal hunting. Why, I ask, should this be the responsibility of say FKNK? Although hunting organisations are expected to co-operate with the police, they should not be held responsible for illegal hunting nor for its control. Otherwise, by the same argument, we should be accusing all other organisations, be it sports, professional or ecclesiastical. Or do criminals exist only among hunters?