The news item Maltese Hunters “Shooting Protected Birds” In Egypt (February 15) calls for clarification.

... law-abiding hunters end up unfairly getting the blame...- Mark Mifsud Bonnici, president, St Hubert Hunters, San Pawl tat-Tarġa

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter’s spokesman admits that the incident shown in the accompanying video took place some years ago, and asserts that “Maltese hunters recently shot protected birds around Lake Nasser in Egypt”. We condemn all such atrocities in the strongest terms.

We are sure also that CABS and International Animal Rescue (IAR) have in this video all the information needed to lead to concrete results. Therefore, it is legitimate to ask: Apart from putting CABS in the picture, what action, if any, did IAR take? Since IAR is international, did they take up the matter with the Egyptian or Maltese authorities? Did they ask the police to follow up the crime? Were the people in the video arraigned? Was there any follow-up or was this purely yet another gimmick as part of their fund-raising exercises at the expense of Malta’s image?

We are well aware that such illegal acts still occur beyond our shores, and augur that CABS and any other entity interested in curbing such activities will do their utmost to eradicate such abuse especially where it is most rampant. The findings of a recent conference in Cyprus that dealt with the illegal killing of birds, speaks volumes about this being more seriously an international problem than a Maltese one. As a matter of fact it shows that the local problem is insignificant by comparison. Yet few are the countries that are labelled as “black spots” or their governments labelled as “spineless” thanks to those that relish digging up “news” and stirring public opinion for their own benefits.

CABS’ Axel Hirschfeld adds that they “decided to hold back from making some of the more graphic and obscene footage public”. They did this no doubt to spare the public the blasphemies and obscene antics of this bunch of vandals. That brings us to putting other questions. What are the local authorities doing to prevent the issue of gun licences to these people?

We refuse membership of our association to such people, but what is the use of that if they can still get a police permit to carry firearms? Proposals on solutions for such matters made to high officials in government were shelved.

Instead of adopting the principle prevention is better than cure, the authorities prefer to wait for the courts to decide after illegalities happen. But, in the meantime, the damage is done and the law-abiding hunters end up unfairly getting the blame because CABS and IAR lump them together with the despicable specimen of Maltese society shown in the video thanks to a section of the media that considers nine-year-old happenings as news.