The reasoning behind Maurice Mizzi’s claim (The Sunday Times, September 4) that because birds are animals then hunting them should be considered as cruelty to animals and subsequently banned is as foolish as its sounds.

Considering that since time immemorial the hunting of animals such as deer, wild boar, rabbit, hare and other wild beasts has been practised worldwide, why has hunting them not been banned in the name of animal cruelty?

So why, I ask, does the hunting of birds, which as he so ably proves are also part of the animal kingdom, have to be considered differently?

The only logical conclusion, considering this man’s futile lone crusade to garner support for his beauty sleep often disturbed by gunshot, is that he only just discovered that birds are animals and following a public outcry over a deplorable act of cruelty on a dog a few months ago he has decided to stir up support for his cause.

Indeed, trying to influence the rational among us, including those entrusted with regulating the taking of animals for a very defined purpose, is not achieved just by publicising one’s ridiculous brainwaves. There have been many who argued in the same way, but in a civilised society it is never the case of nonsensical arguments managing to disturb the balance between what is wrong or right and totally legal.

Since he failed so miserably to convince anyone with his line of argument, Mr Mizzi will sleep on it and come up with some other bright idea to keep us entertained.

In the meantime I will be out legally hunting some animals of the feathered kind, as he did a long time ago, and with other fellow hunters await his reply.

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