Rebecca Vella, Pietà
How can hunting be called noble?
I would like to raise a point about the "noble sport" of hunting, as I often hear our illustrious camouflage-clad "conservationists" describing their hobby. The other day a friend of mine found a Starling, which is a legally huntable species (most unfortunately). I am sure everyone is familiar with this species - it is the one being blasted out of the skies every morning in their hundreds, in a countryside teeming with hunters. I have often seen hunters, eyes glazed and crouching as if they were little Rambos, blasting away at flock after flock of Starlings. As usual, give the hunters an excuse to kill something and they do so with apparent abandon leaving the ground littered with broken and dying bodies.
The Starling my friend found had been shot and had a badly injured wing. However, to add insult to injury the bird then had all of its primary feathers hacked off with scissors. Somehow the bird had either miraculously escaped after being mutilated or most probably been thrown out. Now, here is a young bird, fresh out of the nest from Europe, and now in a miserable, badly injured and mutilated state in Malta. The reason for this? Simply because hunters can. Not for food, or survival, but simply for the fun of it, the fun of slaughter. Nobody can accurately call this hunting.
The fate of the Starling of course does not even touch upon the usual concerns about being woken up every single morning (even a Sunday) by continuous gunfire, being afraid to walk in the countryside because of angry men with guns, concerns about lead poisoning in our water sources from tens of thousands of spent cartridges, having lead raining down on you when you are sitting in your own garden, seeing innocent birds being blasted into bits, finding crippled birds hopping about on trails when you are trying to enjoy an afternoon's walk, hearing about yet another Flamingo or bird of prey being shot, etc.
So I leave it up to readers after taking a look at the photo above, to say what is so "noble" about this hobby.
Popular Stories
In Discussion
22 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Alex Ellul
Dec 12th 2008, 15:29
@MMB et al: The fact is that we have already deposited some 3000 tons of lead during the last 50 years or so. Lets not make it 6000 tons in 50 year's time. Change over to steel shot. Some commentator below remarked that we Maltese should not be different from other countries. In fact we are very different from other countries. Nowhere in these countries can one hear continuous shotgun blasts hours on end, day in, day out, month after month from the centre of the town. In Malta yes. Nowhere is hunting so much concentrated in such a small land area. In other countries hunting quotas exist , in Malta it is indiscriminate hunting. So we are very much different and therefore we must have different rules.
Joe Camilleri
Dec 10th 2008, 20:15
"How can hunting be called noble". hunting is legally practiced world wide. What is not noble is the writing of illustrious exagerations and untruths just to reach some "hidden" agenda. Also, from the writing of your pathetic letter, it shows that you rarely leave the comfort of your sofa and just write what you read from the anti hunting media.
@ J Borg.
"Spirraling Malta Tourism Budget" You should know better who is really hampering our tourisim industry. Those who write that we kill milloins of birds of preys.
"Spineless governments". You are right because they are always caving in to birdlife's pressure.
Edward Camilleri
Dec 10th 2008, 20:00
This goes to show that, together with other hunting incidents, hunting in Malta is not for food, but a 'sport', and what kind of sport! It has become a disgraceful pastime that one would be ashamed of and hope that the end of it would come the day before tomorrow.
Would anyone have thought that trapping for birds would be abolished some years ago? No but the time has finally come, and with such indiscriminate killings, the time for hunting will come too!
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Dec 10th 2008, 18:44
Can you please explain what you are trying to say :
" All lead shot aimed at flying birds eventually falls back to the ground, where wildfowl live (and get killed too). This is according to the law of gravity, which no hunter can break without breaking his bones. Hence your theory that steel-shot is only used for wild fowl is a wild one since hunting in Malta is highly concentrated with respect to land area."
Steel shot is used in countries that shoot wildfowl. Wildfowl consist of ducks and geese and not all wild birds as you assumed in your comment.
This shows the limited knowledge you have about the subject.
I said it is used for shooting wildfowl since these birds dabble (eat) in shallow water and could ingest lead shot.
This restriction is not applicable to Malta as ducks do not dabble due to lack of suitable habitat.
Hope you get the point. And if you still doubt this, check out the British regulations about steel shot.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Dec 10th 2008, 18:31
Read this taken from The Times:
"On their own the birds, which each weigh about 80 grams (3 ounces), are not much danger. But when flying in flocks so dense they can block out the sun, they are a hazard and their stench is like a poorly cleaned cage at a zoo.
The white guano dripping like tears down the face of a statue of the poet Trilussa in the pub-filled Trastevere quarter is testimony to the scheme's limited success -- though the group argues it is the best they can do.
"Obviously we don't have a magic wand. We can't make the birds disappear," said Albarella. "If you kill them, they will soon be replaced, so it probably wouldn't work."
Stone bridges across the river Tiber are still coated in hardened excrement. In a sidestreet, cars and scooters are caked in it. Some Romans protect vehicles parked for more than a couple of hours with plastic sheets"
Swatting a fly or mosquito, squashing a cockroach, killing a rat or a mouse is no different to shooting a starling. This bird is classed as a pest. So stop bragging!!!
Chris Galea
Dec 10th 2008, 18:08
deb bugeja,
killing through sporting methods is accepted worldwide !! and as I already said in previous comments ,it's with the blessing of the EU !!!!!!!!!! it's praticesed in all EU states,we're not the exception to the rule.
deb bugeja
Dec 10th 2008, 17:25
I agree with what J Borg commented about killing for fun. Killing for fun is pathetic. Killing humans is a crime and so is for animals.
I just cannot understand how by hurting or killing a living thing can be accepted
Andrew Gatt
Dec 10th 2008, 15:57
Another sob story filled with generalisation, exaggeration and outright untruths. My God! It sounds as though you're referring to some Third World war zone here! Slaughter. Rambos. Camouflage. Mutilation. Blasted. Crippled. Blah blah blah blah.
The usual emotional garbage from yet another ban-it-all anti-hunter.
Edward FArrugia
Dec 10th 2008, 15:56
Hello Ms/Mrs. Rebecca Vella.
Just kill it and eat it. It is the same like chicken, cows, rabbits, horses, lampuki, tuna, and so on. The only difference is that the dirty job is done by others.
Mr. S Vella
Dec 10th 2008, 15:31
Rebecca,
trying to be sensational is not the way to convince people that we hunters are angry men with guns who enjoy blusting birds out of the sky. Many times when I am practising my hunting hobbies,passers by stop and enjoy talking to us to get to know more about our hobby, about birds and many other things in nature that we enjoy and most people do not know of.
You should be much more concerned about the pesticides which are really poisoning our vegitables and killing many useful insects that do not harm our crops!! and our birds tend to eat and feed their young with these infected insects and kill them. Abroad the way they harvest their huge fields for their crops, destroyes thousands of nests and young birds...why dont you comment about that? why is it you always point your fingers at Maltese hunters? why are you so obsessed to destroy us? Thanks to us we still have some virgin land. With all speculators ready like Vultures you would hardly have were to go walking and enjoy the countryside. Tell us were we leave ground littered with broken and dying bodies or better still publish some photoes.
Johny Xerri
Dec 10th 2008, 14:43
Just a few points:
In all EU member states the Starling is killed , is it a problem if it is also killed in Malta?
In all EU member states lead shot is used on land and steel used only in wetlands were birds are present all year round, to aviod ingestion of lead by birds? Does Malta have to be different and use steal on all the counrty side.
In all EU member states autum and winter hunting is allowed with no problems, why is it a problem in Malta?
In all EU member states hunters travel for hunting trips, why is it that not one single hunter comes to shoot in Malta? Maybe because we are so greedy that we dont want paying customers on our private land or maybe because they would cheesed off for having spent good money to shoot here and not catch anything for months. If the tens of hundreds of birds claimed by 'birdlovers' were real Malta would be a real hunting tourist havean!!
As for the lead showering on you & the angry hunters chasing you off, stick to public land and nature reserves and nobody will chase you off!!!
Now Judge
T Mifsud
Dec 10th 2008, 14:10
@Anthony Formosa
Mr Formosa at best you are not well informed or at worst you are trying to decieve the public. You say that the bird is an aviation hazard. Indeed it is. They are however not shot at airports least by hunters in modern day aviation. Airports use bird scaring compressed air and lasers but also another effective deterent ... birds of prey such as hawks and falcons. The latter are indeed used in several airports especially in France and Germany.
Hopefully you are with me in your argument in preventing bird hazards to the aviation industry and therefore protect the birds of prey which are protected by law anyway.
Alex Ellul
Dec 10th 2008, 13:45
@Mark M B: All lead shot aimed at flying birds eventually falls back to the ground, where wildfowl live (and get killed too). This is according to the law of gravity, which no hunter can break without breaking his bones. Hence your theory that steel-shot is only used for wild fowl is a wild one since hunting in Malta is highly concentrated with respect to land area.
Lead shot is not only oxidised, which is, of course highly poisonous, but also turns into lead nitrate due to nitrous/nitric acid that is formed by lightning and other atmospheric activities. Lead Nitrate is highly soluble and therefore, the hundreds of tons of lead stored in our soil is a slow poison. In time it will turn into a time bomb due to the increase of lead in our soil. We already have hundreds of tons of lead in out soil, in the ideal form, that is small particles, for to turn into lead chemicals due to various causes. If we are still in time to turn to steel-shot then we must do it.
Calling other peoples' comments stupidities is just a confirmation of a lost argument.
Tony Caruana
Dec 10th 2008, 13:20
Dear Ms Vella
I notice that you come from Pieta, and you state
"having lead raining down on you when you are sitting in your own garden, seeing innocent birds being blasted into bits"
You must be very lucky to have a garden in Pieta, As far as i know Pieta is a Jungle of Stone and Concrete.
And i presume all these birds you see from your garden in Pieta, are being blasted out of the sky by people shooting from the Roads ?
But then again maybe there is another Pieta that i do not know of.
Chris Galea
Dec 10th 2008, 12:59
@ Alex Ellul
it's as if you're trying to say that Malta is the only country in the world that uses lead ! it's true that other countries use steel but only for wildfowl ( ducks and geese),that are shot on wetlands !! the rest is done with lead.
Chris Galea
Dec 10th 2008, 12:51
@Rebecca Vella
what's really your problem ? the shooting of a legal quarry or shots fired on Sunday mornings ? don't you think you're being abit exaggerated by saying " being blasted out of the skies every morning in their hundreds" and "leaving the ground littered with broken and dying bodies"( to be honest with you I'm still trying to imagine it !!!) You're trying to create a mountain out of a peak hole and simply trying to gain sympaty from the public about something you disagree with !! to cut the long story short why don't you simply say that you strongly disagree with hunting !! and by the way,what do really mean by angry men with guns ?!!! maybe cause their broken and dying bodies were getting away and they would have to return empty handed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dear Rebecca Vella till 31st January pacenzja !! some cotton wool would do the job !!
E.Camilleri
Dec 10th 2008, 12:31
Dear Ms Vella
Unfortunately you are very misinformed and emotionally biased due to your anti hunting opinion. The Starling is a pest and worst still a very serious one. It is a huge threat at airports thus a nightmarish headache for any airline pilot. Just check the internet and read how many airline damages, crash landings and unfortunately tragedies Starlings have caused. Malta is not an exception and Starlings are a concern for the Civil Aviation. In most countries it ranks as one of the most problematic pests, worst than pigeons.
The Times itself published an article on the 27th November captioned Romes Bird Busters.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081127/world-news/romes-bird-busters
Readers judge for yourselves. Not much else to say.
Next time just get to the point and express your anti hunting opinion without hiding behind false emotions.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Dec 10th 2008, 12:26
Alex Ellul
Alternatives to lead shot are only used for the shooting of wildfowl due to the fact that these birds might ingest lead when dabbling for food.
All other forms of hunting for any other legally shot birds are shot with lead shot.
So please inform yourself properly before suggesting stupidities.
Lead shot does not contaminate the countryside since it oxidizes within days and is totally harmless. It is lead pollution from vehicles that is the real killer. Maybe you might want to be be the first to rid yourself of your car as its polluting effects are killing thousands.
But I guess its lead shot you want to ban for very obvious reasons!!!
Alex Ellul
Dec 10th 2008, 12:20
@Anthony Formosa: Buskett was originally used for hunting deer, that were mported by the noble Knights to practice their pastime, whenever they were not fighting against the Ottomans. I'm sure it was full of many types of birds during those times. Any way, Buskett would be much more beautiful if it were to host a variety of birds of prey, if it wasn,t for the illegal hunters practicing their 'noble' thing. And you call Ms. Vella's letter pathetic? How pathetic. Just keep on pumping poisonous lead into our food chain.
J. Borg
Dec 10th 2008, 11:48
A kill can never be noble
moreover, if it is done for perverted fun - then it is downright vile
Sure Mr. Formosa, if we hadn't the slave trade - the USA will not have Obama - what utter nonsense!
The far from noble issues are:
Blasted birds (even protected ones)
Countryside taken over by overgrown armed thugs, all throughout Autumn and Winter
Shotguns in the hands of hotheads, both in the countryside, on the roads, and in homes.
Lead pollution, in our fields, vegetables, and stomach
Spirraling Malta Tourism Budget, just to mitigate the negative image given by these blood thirsty thrill seekers.
Spineless governments, that are cheeky enough to risk having penalties imposed on taxpayers - just to shortsightedly think they can retain a couple of votes
Alex Ellul
Dec 10th 2008, 11:01
Thousands of tons of lead shot has been deposited in Maltese soil during the past half century, by hunters, eager to carry out their noble pastime. Other countries have restricted hunting with other metals, such as steel, bismuth or tungsten shot.
Isn't it about time that our health authorities concentrate their effort to stop this lead poisoning? We have made great efforts to remove lead from petrol, but we are still depositing tons of lead in our food producing soil by the tons each season. My calculations are 10 thousand hunters shooting 100 cartridges each of 30 grams each season for two seasons annually, this translates into 60 tons of lead each year.
Some people where raising alarm these last days on the few micrograms of mercury inside energy saving lamps, but nobody is raising any alarm on the thousands of tons of lead residing in out soil.
Urgent action please.
Anthony Formosa
Dec 10th 2008, 10:43
What a pathetic letter by Ms R.Vella, if it was not for the noble sports of hunting, today you're not enjoying Buskett and other areas known for hunting. The bird in question is a pest, precisley a flying pest in the same category of rats. From your letter I was expecting that you show us a photo of the ground littered with broken and dying bodies and not just one bird that your friend managed to find.
Just for the readers information besides that these birds are eatable, they are also hazardous to planes, in the past the authorities ordered to shoot on these birds inside the airports.
Ms Vella your concern is not the bird, but the gun shots that wakes you up on Sunday mornings, so now I can see who is the noble.