Bird watchers see court penalty as 'laughable'

Sylvana Zarb Darmanin

Oct 7th 2009, 10:56

As they say, Mr Finch, Int thobb tidhol bejn il basla u qoxritha!! You might recall, Sir, that I have been waiting for an answer to my question precisely about whether CABS and Co love birds alone or whether they also have respect towards CATS and other animals! I feel that your comment: "well it seems that this love of animals doesn't extend to all creatures. So you have a hierarchy of which animals you shouldn't be cruel to and others that it is perfectly ok to be cruel to and even kill." Maybe, with an honest answer from CABS and Co readers will learn of their true hypocrisy!!!

a tanti

Oct 6th 2009, 22:34

EUR 8 for each protected bird caught! Isn't it worth it? If I were a trapper I would go for it! That is the message between the lines in my opinion. It is a slap in the face both for the environmentalists and also for the law abiding hunters and trappers. I feel that the sentence is also an insult to the police force, as their efforts are ridiculed with such fines!

Chris Finch

Oct 6th 2009, 22:19

Sylvana, You often comment about the health of your dogs and claim to be a supporter of animal welfare, well it seems that this love of animals doesn't extend to all creatures. So you have a hierarchy of which animals you shouldn't be cruel to and others that it is perfectly ok to be cruel to and even kill. I think it is you madam that is displaying true hypocrisy.
IGALEA, As members of the European Union, other European Union members have every right to comment. Also the birds that are caught or killed have no nationality so it is perfectly reasonable for citizens of a country to want to protect these birds in order to see them in the future. If you don't like it then why not go to Africa, the land of your ancestors?

m anastasi

Oct 6th 2009, 21:53

Your unconvincing arguments are only convincing us more about the shame that’s looms over your heads after you realized that what you had been doing to birds for years behind everyone’s back is finally being uncovered & the real truth is exposed for all to see. Enough to drive anyone mad. In your justification to kill birds it seems you can’t compare it to anything other than the world’s social tragedies. & rightly so.

C Mallia

Oct 6th 2009, 21:42

This court sentence is a slap in the face for civil society. It is though another nail in the coffin for spring hunting. How can the government and the law courts be taken seriously by the EU Commission and ECJ with such ridiculous penalties. I hope that if a derogation can be applied, much higher penalties have to be first implemented in our laws.

Sylvana Zarb Darmanin

Oct 6th 2009, 20:27

Mr Phil Humphries, your blinkers have not allowed you to realise that this case does not involve a bird killer!! He was charged with possession of live birds!! When are we to expect sensible arguments!!!

You are very right Mr Anthony Formosa. The hypocrisy prevailent in certain anti-hunting individuals' comments is unbelievable: i.e. being against the killing of birds but in favour of the killing of human-beings!!!

adrian aquilina

Oct 6th 2009, 19:47

mr farrugia, humans and birds are equal.we are both animals.the differance being if humans became extinct the earth would thrive.if birds did the earth would die..are we more important then bees?einstein said that if bees disapeared from the earth humans would die out within 5 years.animals,nature are extremely important. we share this planet.we do not own it..trouble is the human animal is destroying it..grow up and do whats right

Farrugia A.

Oct 6th 2009, 19:41

S ZardDarmanin

Two wrong dont make a right. I suppose.

Are birds better than humans?

Nigel Lawrence

Oct 6th 2009, 18:01

I think the majority of us find ALL court penalties as laughable. The bench want "respect"? They'll have to a lot better than this to get even a small modicum admiration from us.

C.Borg

Oct 6th 2009, 17:41

600 euros for a few protected birds????? come on!!!!! what fine should be given to tthose ruining our country side like the Bahrija Valley? 6 million?
it seems to me that hunters and trappers are being treated as the black sheep!!!!

lgalea

Oct 6th 2009, 17:17

I do not like hunting but who are these CABS to decide what should be the penalties in Maltese law?
These FOREIGNERS have absolutely NO right to interfere in OUR INTERNAL affairs.
Go look what is being done in your own countries FOREIGNERS.

Anthony Formosa

Oct 6th 2009, 17:06

The birds in question were released in the Ghadira nature reserve, to be eaten by the rats, can anyone deny this? can BLM be held responsible for this cruelty?

Well said Ms Sylvana Zarb Darmanin, birds are being more protected then humans, as a matter of fact, most who comment here are pro abortion.

mario nicholas pace

Oct 6th 2009, 16:23

Shame on our courts for such a sentence. Why are our members of parliament not doing thier job ? Surely they can amend these kind of ridiculous penalties,instead of fighting on other useless subjects such as choosing our national holiday.

Ramon Casha

Oct 6th 2009, 16:13

Only a few days ago The Times published speeches by the chief justice and the president of the chamber of advocates, and one of the items mentioned is that the courts are not getting the respect they deserve, and the chief justice mentioned that he does not agree that sentences are too lenient.

Sorry, but my answer is NO! I cannot have respect for the Maltese court system while we are regularly regaled with cases like this.

Please don't insult our intelligence by referring to them as "courts of justice".

Phil Humphries

Oct 6th 2009, 16:04

@ Sylvana Zarb Darmanin.

Regardless of whether the victim is animal or human, the law is the law and civilised society cannot condone or excuse any form of savage behaviour. My personal feeling is that both men should have been deprived of their liberty, whereas, your comments appear to infer that the bird killer's crimes are (relatively) inferior and possibly even excuseable.

I suppose one could argue that the drunken Irishman's irresponsible actions were fuelled by alcohol, however, what possible mitigation can there be for cold-blooded cruelty to animals?

Joe Anastasi

Oct 6th 2009, 15:07

The court sentence is indeed a farse, and does nothing to discourage such practice.

To the "hunter" Stephen Grech who accuses the Times of being biased: If it bothers you so much just don't read it. Nobody is forcing you too.

Mercifully the majority of civilised citizens don't think like you, and enjoy reading it.

Jurgen Bugeja

Oct 6th 2009, 14:54

Sorry is this The Times or a Birdlife newspaper?

Michael F

Oct 6th 2009, 14:50

@ Stephen Grech
If you are a trapper and wish to share some methods of trapping why don't you tell us readers for how long you keep caged birds in almost complete darkness so that they will sing louder when you take them out in the countryside. Why don't you never mention this cruel part of trapping?

Thank you EU for banning finch trapping.

Anthony Mizzi

Oct 6th 2009, 14:16

Such a fine should be imposed as a minimum for each bird.

Malta continues to be the laughing stock with sentences, suspended or otherwise being dished out by the local courts.

Such sentences and "penalties" are no deterrent at all and are becoming more of an incentive to further recurrences for such despicable acts by these terrorists of nature and the local hunting scenario.

John Azzopaardi

Oct 6th 2009, 13:53

One would hope that the AG would examine the circumstances of the sentence and appeal against it if it is possible and if there are grounds at law.

M Magri

Oct 6th 2009, 13:45

What a farce... THIS HAS TO STOP!

Sylvana Zarb Darmanin

Oct 6th 2009, 13:31

I refer CABS and all those commenting below to another News Item appearing today "Suspended Jail Term for drunken violence" where a drunken Irishman who
1. attacked a man in the street;
2. Caused €200 and €120 worth of damage to two cars - including a police car;
3. assaulted two police officers after they tried to arrest him;
4. injured another man;
5. breached the peace;
6. being drunk

This person was given a suspended one-year jail term and ordered to pay €320 for damges caused to two cars!

You see the relativity here Sirs?!!! But then birds are more important than human beings for you, aren't they?!!!!

Spiteri J.

Oct 6th 2009, 13:31

@ M.Said
I can assure you that it's not just the CABS who consider this penalty 'laughable', but the vast majority of us Maltese. Before the courts of law ask for our respect, they should start by giving the correct sentencing and penalties. When is the Minister of the Environment going to do something about this situation. We are just fed up with hunters/trappers and things are getting worse. WAKE UP!

stephen grech

Oct 6th 2009, 13:24

As I said before, this newspaper has become the no1 website for Birdlife! We readers have had enough of this nonsense. Birdlife needs only to breathe and the next moment you see it splashed with prominence on this paper. It's not the penalty imposed by the court which is laughable but the way that such papers try to fill their pages!

@Heinz Schwarze I'm a bird trapper and not once in my life did I maim my birds to use as live decoys and I can assure you that no trapper of song finches uses this method. So don't try to impress your audience with your gibberish and lies! But I forgot that the only thing that you guys are expert in is lies and more lies!!

Andy Towler

Oct 6th 2009, 13:23

Why are the Maltese courts so averse to handing down custodial sentences for crimes such as these?

DVella

Oct 6th 2009, 13:20

. . . and we expect the EU to take us seriously . . . . ??! Our Legal System needs to be kicked in the butt and made to collectively wake up and smell the coffee . . . . sentences like this are the norm rather than the exception and they are PATHETIC!

Lorraine Vella

Oct 6th 2009, 13:08

should we laugh or cry??? What are the courts up to lately??? I just cannot understand the reasoning behind such a silly fine! This is like telling offenders to go ahead and illegally possess any such birds, since they will only be fined a meagre amount. U le le!!!!!

P. Camilleri

Oct 6th 2009, 13:07

Not even a fine of €6,000 would have been enough! These hunters and trappers should be given a lesson and the court should set an example. We're living in a Mickey Mouse country!

M.SAID

Oct 6th 2009, 13:06

Arent CABS supposed flown away back to Germany?????????????

So why are they still on local media?????????????????

Jon Shaw

Oct 6th 2009, 12:55

Complete waste of time....... € 8 per protected bird. Parking on a double line is, according to the the law, 3 times more punishable if measured by value of the fine imposed.