Updated: Hunting hide set up... In front of the Palace

A provisional hunting hide has been set up by BirdLife Malta in St George's Square, Valletta to mimic hunters who took public land at Mizieb and other areas.

However, the police asked BirdLife to dismantle the structure after about an hour, since, they said, a local council permit was required for any kind of structure to be set up.

During the hour it was in St George's Square, the hide, complete with a Keep Out RTO painted on it, attracted the curiosity of passers-by.

A policeman on duty at the Palace soon asked BirdLife for an explanation but when asked by BirdLife executive director Tolga Temuge if there was a problem, he said he would check and left.

Soon after, another five police officers appeared on the spot and two went up to Mr Temuge, took his particulars and asked him what was happening.

Mr Temuge explained that this was a form of street theatre to demonstrate against the illegal occupation of public land by hunters.

The police asked Mr Temuge if the hide was going to be removed and Mr Temuge answered that BirdLife did not want to remove it but it would do so if it was asked to by the police.

Complete with a man dressed in hunting gear and catridges sprewn over the floor, Birdlife PRO Geoffrey Saliba told a news conference that the aim was to enforce the law and remove illegal hunting and trapping sites.

A bird scarer made up of wire with empty cans tied to it, usually used by hunters to flush out birds from nearby trees, was also tied to the hide.

Mr Saliba said it was outrageous that the government seemed unwilling to enforce the law and hunters seemed to be ruling the country.

Mr Saliba said that in Mizieb alone, BL had recorded around 256 illegal hunting hides, 22 of which were within the boundaries of the Simar nature reserve.

The setting up of the hide in St George's Square, he said, was part of an ongoing campaign for the government to evenutally clamp down on illegal hides.