Three Gozitans accused of illegal hunting
Joemar Saliba, 18 of Xewkija, Adam Vella, 30 of Victoria and a 17-year-old boy, also of Xewkija, were arraigned in court in Gozo today and accused of illegal hunting.
They were accused of hunting at Ta' Cenc and near Sannat, Gozo.
All three pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. The hearing continues on May 26.
Police inspector Josric Mifsud prosecuted.
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Mr Nyal Xuereb
May 23rd 2011, 07:56
With all due respect to everyone's opinion, but these 3 are not hunters, they are poachers and criminals. In yesterday's TVM news it was said that 1 was a convicted felon and relapse (so cannot have a licence), the other did not even have a licence, while the last used an unregistered gun. I bet neither of them are (and probably cannot be) members of any hunting federation. It was confirmed that over 700 Storks migrated in the past days, with hundreds of hunters and ornithologists chasing them together with binoculars and cameras, but only a handful were shot at, but some scruples beings that do not deserve to be around. When considering that there are 10,000 or so licensed hunters, I think the situation is like any other illegality, be it drugs, gambling, driving, whatever law is broken daily. Two of these caught are not even part of the 10,000 licensed hunters, so the situation is even better. The problem is that whatever the issue, laws are broken, but one cannot expect that those who are licensed and abide the law are the ones who suffer.
Mr Andrew Cauchi
May 23rd 2011, 07:10
I wonder why it's important to announce that they were Gozitans. If they were Maltese would the headline read: Three Maltese accused of illegal hunting? I doubt it.
This is a form of racism and demonstrates the continued treatment of Gozitans as second class citizens.
Ms Sharon Ann
May 23rd 2011, 01:05
Isnt it illegal for a Child under 18 to hold and use a weapon ?
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 23rd 2011, 19:42
That is what many a time hunters have claimed...that people who break the law are most likely the ones who do no have a licence .
Christopher Ripard
May 22nd 2011, 23:49
same old, same old . . . at least we haven't got the usual lame excuses from the FKNK/San Ubertu - maybe even they're giving up on "hunters" ever following - as opposed to constantly breaking - the law. Yawn!
Mr Ivan Calleja
May 22nd 2011, 20:41
to Mr.Xerri - you seem to be the Defender of the hunting/poaching community with your very avant-garde ideas about hunting!! Enjoy the hunting days that have been given to you because hunting in Malta won't last for long!! And we don't care what other countries do....we are interested in our islands!! And for our islands hunting has been a shame for locals and tourists for too long!! Time to say Goodbye!!
Mr Peter Agius
May 22nd 2011, 22:29
Well said Mr.Calleja!!!
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 23rd 2011, 20:23
Mr Ivan Calleja,
Can you please explain were I defended the poachers?
I have always defended the right for law abiding hunters to hunt within the EU Birds Directive and local laws.
If I were you I would either present proof of when I defended poaching or else ask the editor to remove the insinuation before it is too late.
Likewise Mr Agius, since you agree with Mr Calleja, present me with when I defended poaching or else don't complain if action is taken.
As for Hunting not lasting long in Malta...I simply say...poaching has long been a problem in Malta and although diminishing...will still be a problem in 2050 and years after....poaching will also remain a problem in many other EU countries for many years to come....however, the EU Commission has never banned hunting in any EU country simply due to poaching.
Proof of this is the fact that in Malta's case the EU Commission never mentioned illegal hunting (even though many antis had written bibles of reports related to paoching).
In any democratic state collective punishment and the principle of "mal-hazin jehel it-tajjeb" (the good i.e. the law abiding hunters suffer because of the bad i.e. the poachers).
Mario Muscat
May 22nd 2011, 18:56
Since the hunting season is closed the hunters DO NOT need their guns. Therefore the goverment should collect all the guns and keep them in a safe place. They can have them back when the season opens. This way these irresponsible people are more controlled, it is much easier for the authorities and the police and much cheaper for the tax payer. Malta will definitely be a safer and more tranquil place to live.
Mr Anthony Formosa
May 22nd 2011, 18:24
I'm sure, that if these three were caught with drugs, there wouldn't be one comment.
Mr C Cassar
May 22nd 2011, 22:58
That's vecause all they would be doing would be harming themselves rather than anything wild and innocent.
Mr Charles Gauci
May 23rd 2011, 05:59
What a stupid comment!
Mr Victor Falzon
May 23rd 2011, 07:55
You want to know why? It's because we are totally fed up with macho types roaming the countryside killing birds at whim, that's why.
Ms Francesca Abela
May 22nd 2011, 18:03
Why do hunters persist in calling hunting a 'hobby'. A hobby is collecting stamps, photos, cards, reading etc. etc. Killing birds/animals when they cannot defend themselves is certainly no sport and yes, hunting should be abolished. I am not talking only about Malta but all over the world.
Mr Anthony Formosa
May 22nd 2011, 18:16
And we should also ban fishing all over the world.
Mr David Briffa
May 22nd 2011, 18:20
@ms abela
How many times do we have to say this is not hunting his is POUCHING.Secondly who u are to take away others pastimes .Live your life and let others alone pls.
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 22nd 2011, 19:28
Good luck...considering that hunting takes place in much larger volumes abroad...it would make conservation sense to first abolish hunting in these places...tehn in places were it is practiced in lower volumes...
Try forwarding a letter to the british media and protest your concern as to the fact that they allow hunting all year round with no closed season on a variety of species including birds and mammals, that are only classified as pests in the UK. Some of which happen to be straglers to the Maltese islands.
Then keep us updated on their reply...preferable censor the reply coz I'm sure u'll get a lot of f*** offs
Mr J. Borg
May 22nd 2011, 20:28
Mr.Xerri
You state that local hunting is small scale....and you try to compare with the UK?
Are you aware that the density of population in Malta is 1318 (7th highest in the World) whereas that of the UK is just 255 - and this without going into the demerits of Malta's saturated urbanisation!
Mr Charles Gauci
May 22nd 2011, 20:38
Mr. Xerri,
Ever heard of proportions?
Mr Charles Gauci
May 23rd 2011, 06:02
@Mr. David Briffa
And who are you to kill other people's birds?
Mr Victor Falzon
May 23rd 2011, 08:00
@ David Briffa "who u are to take away others pastimes"
When a pastime causes damage and stress and pain and death, you have no right to that pastime.
And by the way the word you are looking for is poaching not pouching.
Anthony Cassar
May 22nd 2011, 17:35
No mention whether the weapons are licenced and to whom. If the 17yr old could not have a licence due to his age, then the person to whom his weapon was licenced should have been charged also, don't you think?
Also a good way for hunting associations to show everyone that they are serious entities would be to state whether these people were members and the steps they intend to take if they are found guilty. Staying mum will only reflect badly on all hunters, which is unfair.
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 22nd 2011, 18:06
Why bring in the hunting associations each and every time?
Both FKNK & KSU have stated that anyone charged by police for hunting infringements will have his membership temporary suspended and if found guilty permanently suspended many a time...are we going to play the same tune all the time like babies...
may 2011
Timesofmalta; Poachers have been charged with breaking the law.
FKNK/KSU; They will be temp suspended & if guilty permanently suspended.
June 2011
Timesofmalta; Poachers have been charged with breaking the law.
FKNK/KSU; They will be temp suspended & if guilty permanently suspended
July 2011
Timesofmalta; Poachers have been charged with breaking the law.
FKNK/KSU; They will be temp suspended & if guilty permanently suspended
Mr Andrea Damato
May 22nd 2011, 17:11
Good work by the police. This is the positive result that serious and effective enforcement brings over. Now let these idiots face the music, hope that the courts are not lenient towards them and give them a lesson they would remember.
And let us law abiding hunters enjoy our hobby legally in peace.
Mr Peter Agius
May 22nd 2011, 22:35
Andrea, as I said before..... law abiding hunters are a rare species. I know that you are one of them but I can count the ones like yourself on both my hands.
Mr mark johnson
May 22nd 2011, 15:44
Poaching is the term for illegal hunting.
Mr Charles Gauci
May 22nd 2011, 15:38
Can a 17-year old hold a hunting licence? If not, was he also charged with hunting without a licence? If yes, how come he can hold a hunting licence but his name cannot be published?
Mr Victor Falzon
May 22nd 2011, 14:13
Such a romantic picture! A cowboy walking into the sunset with his trusted four-footed friend.
Well there is nothing romantic about hunting in Malta. Killing for fun makes you nothing but a monster.
Mr Charles Gauci
May 22nd 2011, 15:31
Fully agree with Mr. Falzon. After yesterday's article about rambos chasing storks in their cars and shooting from the road in front of a human habitation, with the witness describing how the shooting never seemed to end, this tranquil picture is certainly out of place!
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 22nd 2011, 16:33
Hunting is not killing for fun otherwise nobody would have a retreiving dog...the only point of having a retreiving dog is so that the dog retrieves the game which will then be cooked.
Using your mind set...we might as well opt for artificial insemination since sex was not intended for pleasure but for reproduction.
Using your mind set we might as well eat artificial shakes instead of food since food was not made for pleasure but for energy.
using your mind set we might as well have 4 wheels on a seat instead of a luxury car since the objective of a vehicle is to travel from A to Z and not that of showing off in a concept car.
well believe me it would not be a romantic life...but most probably yours is neither since the only joy you seem to get is that of trying to ban a hobby that brings enjoyment to millions of people around the globe.
If you don't agree with hunting and have more romantic things to do with your life...simply do not hunt...but do not impose on others and deny them of a hobby that is practiced by 7 million EU hunters and God knows how many others around the globe.
Mr Mark Cutajar
May 22nd 2011, 17:02
Yeah too bad that is not a cowboy, but a hunter. Unless this cowboy manages to lasso horses with a shotgun.
That is a hunter, and yes, most hunters I know love their dogs dearly. It is a hobby, and it must be regulated, but not eradicated.
The mindset you have about hunters comes from media. You all picture them as heartless crazies who love to kill anything for fun. For every hunter caught killing a protected species, there are hundreds of others who have respect for their game (animals they hunt).
Mr Chris Xuereb
May 22nd 2011, 17:35
Why bother with a lasso when he can just shoot the horse..A hunter's gun is for killing animals & no other purpose, hence the social rejection.
George Debono
May 22nd 2011, 17:41
Mr Johnny Xerri
RE “…Hunting is not killing for fun otherwise nobody would have a retreiving dog…”. - - -You don’t need to kill birds to have a retriever. I had one and he was very happy.
RE “…. sex was not intended for pleasure but for reproduction……..” - - - EH? how do you know – you the Creator or something? . (I’m sure The Creator invented it to help bonding of couples)
RE “………..4 wheels on a seat instead of a luxury….” - - - - - - Yep!!! – or a bicycle!
RE “……….enjoyment to millions of people around the globe.” --- and death and suffering to millions of beautiful creatures.
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 22nd 2011, 17:58
George Debono;
You just made my day and proved that you lot feel that you are a cut ahead of us.
You rediculed the comment by stating that;
" EH? how do you know – you the Creator or something?" but then just a punctuation away you wrote "(I’m sure The Creator invented it to help bonding of couples)"
So did you by any chance meet the creator since you are so cocksure of your assertion?
Well re the 4 wheels I was again awaiting a sensible reply...such as the use of public transport which with the new system will be less polluting than having individual cars...once you are such a crusader of animal rights and since less pollution equals a better envirnoment for wildlife...will you give up your car and opt for the Arriva service?
Grabted that you dont' have to kill bord to have a retriever...but you have to have a retreiver if you kill birds...once again you missed the point...since the point was "why should a hunter feed and train a retreiver if he is not interested to retreive and eat the game?"
However you are too cocksure of your reply that you don't even understand the comment you are replying to.
Jason Borg
May 22nd 2011, 18:28
Hunting is not killing for fun, says Mr. Xerri. Then what is it? Is the killing done so that later you spend a sleepless night shedding tears for the lives taken?
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 23rd 2011, 20:48
No Dear Jason Borg,
I do not spend endless nights crying over the bird I managd to kill....I usually spend the time eating it.
And since I always defended legal game hunting you should have been well aware that game is hunted all over the world for the same reason...to e eaten...
True we enjoy the actvity, but don't fisherman also catch wild fish to later on eat them...don't wild crop collectors collect wild mushrooms to later on eat them...don't snail collectors collect living snails to later n eat them? All these people enjoy collecting something from the wild, all of them kill something wild...yet it is only the hunter that gets cursed!!!
Maybe soon the other wild animals will start cursing their luck at being born as fish, snails or plants...and not as birds.
Mr C Cassar
May 22nd 2011, 14:05
Thanks to all involved for helping the cause to end hunting in Malta once and for all. EU, please take note of these incidents.
Mr Johnny Xerri
May 22nd 2011, 18:00
Once again if the EU had to ban something because of ilegalities than hunting would not occur in any EU state since they all have a problem with poachers...the only difference is that in Malta we also have a problem with extremist fools who bore us out of our socks with the only 3 words they know (ban, fines and EU).
Mr C Cassar
May 22nd 2011, 19:33
No, the problem in Malta is it's very small land mass which doesn't give any of the migrating birds a chance to escape the barrage of firearms each year. Malta simply cannot sustain hunting due to it's size, so it's a clear case for a ban on that fact alone. The positive impact on tourism would be enormous since Malta has been very clever to get itself such a bad reputation for the annual slaughter of what it does not own.
Ms Francesca Abela
May 22nd 2011, 12:53
It is about time that fines for illegal hunting are reviewed. The law as it is at the moment is a farce.
Mr mike Knight
May 22nd 2011, 14:46
Welcome to the Maltese way of life (LOL) ALL FOR ONE AND NONE FOR ALL
Keith Bonello
May 22nd 2011, 15:23
Mux ghal kaccaturi biss ta imma ghal kollox
Charlie Borg
May 22nd 2011, 12:52
Strange, eh? The 17-yr old boy is old enough to be carrying a shotgun, presumably under licence, but not old enough to have his name published. But such is life, in Malta.
Eric Camilleri
May 22nd 2011, 14:25
Mr Borg. Please don't shoot from the hip. The legal age for a shotgun licencee is 18yrs old. Having said that if found guilty may they get what they deserve.
Stefan Micallef
May 22nd 2011, 14:31
No you must be 18 to carry a gun...and at this time of the year no one should carry a gun to go hunting just to let you know.