Foreigners should back off

Recently I have been reading numerous letters regarding the shooting and trapping in your beautiful islands. I am an English lady with a family of five in tow and we often come to spend our free time and hard earned money in your land of paradise.

We love Malta and always have done and will keep returning even though some British newspapers see fit to slate the Maltese with their outrageous articles and accusations. We have been coming since the late 1970s but this is the first time I have had to write to your newspaper.

Firstly, to all the foreigners passing their comments, I bet everyone who writes in has big problems of their own back in their own countries, so please don't point fingers at the Maltese.

To all the Maltese who say hunting is bad for tourism, well that is not true. It is the bad publicity you give your own land that is.

To the foreigners who run Birdlife Malta, please find something better to do in your own land of origin.

Let the Maltese themselves sort it out among themselves without interference from some busybody who has nothing better to do.

I have nothing against Maltese bird watchers, so best of luck to you in your work and hobbies.

I have nothing against hunters either, so best of luck in the coming season. I have nothing against trappers, so best of luck in getting back your tradition.

We have spent many hours in the countryside and yet have never been showered with pellets or come across rude or arrogant hunters; in fact, it is quite the contrary.

We find the country folk very easy to get on with as we often stop and talk to them about their tradition, as we also do when we find English pigeon shooters in our countryside just outside Milton Keynes.

Love Malta for what it once was and still is - a place of great people, traditions and love for tourists who don't try to run your island.