Birdlife launches four-year campaign

Richard Cachia Zammit

Mar 23rd 2009, 23:33

@Robert Micallef

Further to my comment.....just a sample for your information.

http://www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/198/59/

http://www.dinlarthelwa.org/content/view/77/59/

http://www.projectgaia.org/media/14-06-2007.html

http://www.projectgaia.org/media/images/1.10.2008.jpg

As I already said...please check things before you comment.

Richard Cachia Zammit

Mar 23rd 2009, 21:38

@Robert Micallef

Be it ix-Xaghra l-Hamra, be it Ta' Cenc or be it ir-Ramla l-Hamra, Birdlife Malta was always there amongst the NGOs that voiced their concern re development of these areas and others. So please check before accusing.

John Matthews

Mar 23rd 2009, 19:34

@ P Agius Looks like you've got it wrong again It is a well known fact that more children are killed and injured by motor vehicles than by Hunters or Shooters. What are you going to want next? a total ban on motor vehicles.Children need education whether it be Hunting or Road Safety

Robert Micallef

Mar 23rd 2009, 09:19

Ok, so may I ask, Will this campaign be anti-hunting or will it tackle increasing expanding of developed areas, less farmland, more light pollution, sound pollution. Will these be tackled? Perhaps birdlife international do tackle these things but birdlife malta surely do not!!!!

p grech

Mar 23rd 2009, 05:42

@p agius... no I'm not mixing wild and farm animals. I said that in other countries they hunt all sorts of animals, cause they have the "luxury" of having hundreds of species. Switch to any "fishing & hunting" channel and see what I mean. From dears, to pigs, to boars, and right down to innocent song birds the size of sparrows. It's all on TV. Why should the Maltese be stopped from hunting 2, I repeat TWO, migratory species for on 3 weeks a year?

P Agius

Mar 22nd 2009, 22:54

@ P Grech

Are you trying to mix up farm animals with wild animals? There is a HUGE difference. I will explain before you make the question yourself: Farm animals sustainabilty is controlled by the farmers themselves and therefore can never be extint ... the opposite applies to wild animals, which, when hunted indiscriminatory, they are risking extintion. And, please don't tell us that game birds are not in such risk because birds which nowadays are extint or almost were plentiful years ago. Another reason is that farm animals are not enjoyed by everyone while wild animalsd are, so it's very selfish of hunters to bring them down. So yes time WILL come when hunting of wild birds would be banned completely. It's just as matter of time - the sooner the better for everyone.

And once we're discussing, I reiterate my suggestion to the government to ban children from hunting places. Children should be protected by the potential danger there is in hunting places and they should attend to this killing "hobby". We're ruining their innocence

Richard Cachia Zammit

Mar 22nd 2009, 19:00

@MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

What you seem to be missing is that this campaign was launched by Birdlife International...you know those same nice guys you quoted a few days ago who made a deal with FACE re hunting in Natura 2000 sites. So according to you and others, this campaign is aimed at banning hunting throughout Europe??? I don't think that FACE share this same idea. They live in today's world and not in the dark ages and are very much aware of what migratory birds are facing nowadays. I’m sure that if FACE authorities had to read your comments, they wouldn’t be amused at all.

And since you brought up the subject of turtle doves, in the same agreement between Birdlife and Face which you yourself mentioned, you find "Both organisations call upon the Commission and the Member States to develop, adopt and implement Management Plans for Annex II-species considered to be in an unfavourable conservation status." You know very well that the turle dove is in Annex II and has an unfavourable conservation status. So definitley shooting these birds before they even have the chance to reproduce goes against this same agreement.

p grech

Mar 22nd 2009, 18:22

@ p agius... I hope you're not saying banning it in Malta? what's the logic? Then you might as well ban all types of animal killing, from amphibians to mammals. The issue here is hunting game, not killing birds. Other coutries have the luxury of having hundreds of species of game, from birds to beasts, while Malta is restricted to a few. The hunters are asking for 3 weeks in a year to hunt the two species of game that migrate in spring; that's it. What's the fuss?

P Agius

Mar 22nd 2009, 18:06

@ Xuereb & Grech ... yes you've got it - this killing "sports" SHOULD be banned ALL year round. A new era will start whereby people will start to live with the nature and not against the nature

p grech

Mar 22nd 2009, 17:01

eh... has anyone noticed? Malta depends on migratory birds since only a handfull of speices are residents. This has been the picture for centuries. Last year it was even confirmed after the ban of srping hunting; all birds just left the island just the same. Anyhow, birds migrate all year round, so this campain is only aimed at banning the shooting of all birds all year round: simple. I wonder were all this is being financed from.

n xuereb

Mar 22nd 2009, 16:50

If you read carefully between the lines, this campaign is just another campain against all hunting. This time the target is to ban hunting all year round.

MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

Mar 22nd 2009, 16:44

richardcachiazammit.
reply to yesterdays comment:

the indicated video shows only a fraction of birds that migrate along this flyway. it is no way indicatory to what you state. also it is the written word that counts. where is the distinction between huntable and protected species

The legality of shooting dove and quail in spring was confrimed by birdlfie when it knew of and agreed to the use of derogation by Malta. since then it claims that spring hunting is illegal.

who can ever believe Birdlfie's sincerity??

CAN B IRDLFIE STATE THAT ALL HUNTABLE SPECIES ARE NOT TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAGN. IT SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM DOING SO IF THIS WAS THE CASE!!!

ALL HUNTERS AWAIT AN ANSWER THYEY WILL OBVIOUSLY NEVER RECEIVE!

MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

Mar 22nd 2009, 16:21

where is the distinction between those species that are huntable according to annex 2 and those listed as protected by the Birds Directive.

It is a aknown fact that birdlfie want Malta'smain game birds, the turtle dove and quail to be put on the protected list. it is also a known fact that they also objec t to the irdum tal modonna
offshore windfarm.

The herd instinct spurs birdlfie Malta to call in for support in order to fight their battles. the birds that use the african-eurasian flyway that are not huntable species are already protected by the EU birds directive. so what do birdlfie and friends want to protect?

As for windfarms the repeated mention of 'incorrectly placed windfarms' rings more than one bell!!!

joseph lia

Mar 22nd 2009, 12:20

4 year campaign!!! Its (the campaign) been going on for over 20 years, the campaign is not aimed at conservation, its aimed at abolishing socio-cultural pastimes, which ARE sustainable. Birdlife have lied and hyperinflated Malta's illegal poaching (much worse in other countries!!!) to such an extent that even the public at large are starting to doubt their position.
Why don't Birdlife Malta ask the other 70 countries they've joined and see if hunting and trapping takes place there as well, and while they are at it, why don't they ask the other 70 countries how much the twitchers there cooperate with their local hunting fraternity?? They should feel ashamed (I doubt it) with the reply and the way they have demonized a healthy outdoors activity, and yes totally sustainable!

Joe Camilleri

Mar 22nd 2009, 11:12

So we will be seeing another set of billboards sprouting on the island. I hope that they will have the nessecary permits from MEPA, not like the previous ones.

It is good to know how much euros, BL will get

marco meli

Mar 22nd 2009, 10:15

bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla .......... and then they will apply for funds from the EU. A million euro for a shear water project, 350,000 euros for campaining against hunters etc etc etc. Its no wonder why the turkish man will campain fiercly against maltese hunters! and the maltese people will swallow his bait.