The Prime Minister recently asked the public to be tolerant towards hunters but, if I may ask, are hunters tolerant towards other citizens?

They can just about hunt all year round, except for about three months, and, still, it is we, the members of the public, who are now being requested to tolerate them.

By stopping spring hunting we will only be removing a few days from their nearly nine months of hunting seasons.

The latter is split between three weeks in April, three months from June to August (rabbit hunting season) and five months from September to January of the following year.

Moreover, they can hunt in 80 per cent of the countryside, be it public or private. Public land is often selfishly occupied during spring for hunting purposes, while keeping the rest of the Maltese people out.

What has irked me most has been the threat to newspaper editor Sandro Mangion. Such threats are not new. In fact, there were plenty of such threats on the Hunting in Malta website – with many hosted there for several years – despite the public outcry back in 2008.

Why would such posts be left on a local hunting website for so many years?

I think many know why; it is no wonder we still have to endure similar threats like that received the other day by Mangion.

In this referendum, the public now has the unique opportunity to unite and safeguard the Maltese environment for future generations. We must protect bird life by stopping the spring hunting season, this being the most critical period when birds are on their way to breed.

Stopping the spring hunting season will bring a real balance that takes into consideration the migratory birds, our environment and the Maltese people.

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