Sob stories from the hunting fraternity

There seems to be a dark cloud of depression hanging over the hunting fraternity, if one believes the FKNK (Federation of Hunters, Trappers and – would you believe it! – Conservationists).

Last year, they claimed that their dogs were very depressed because they were not out fetching slaughtered birds. None of the hunters thought of taking them out for a walk in the countryside, or simply playing with them rather than keeping them locked up in a garage or on the roof.

Now it seems that some hunters are so depressed because they cannot go out and shoot anything that flies, and scatter the countryside with poisonous lead, that they are becoming suicidal!

I suppose the next sob story to emanate from FKNK is that their shotguns are so depressed they cannot shatter the peace of the countryside with their booms that they are slowly rusting away.

Lino Farrugia, secretary of the hunters’ federation, states (September 30) that “everyone knows that a few persons kill protected wild bird species and may act like thugs in the process...”

We don’t really know this, but if Mr Farrugia wants to protect the reputation of honest hunters, then he and his peers should stand up and be counted, and report and ban those who break the law.

Only then would we believe anything the federation states, instead of taking it with a pinch of salt.