Five of the athletes who have endorsed the Yes to spring hunting campaign leading up to Saturday’s referendum have been convicted of illegal hunting in recent years.

The five athletes last week appeared in publicity material among a group of sportsmen, most of them known hunters, with the message ‘Let’s strike the right balance, we are voting Yes”.

One of them, Michael Cutajar, was found guilty of illegal hunting four times over three years.

In a statement released by the Yes campaign listing the names of the sportsmen, the athletes encouraged the public to vote for spring hunting
to “send a message in favour of tolerance,” adding that nothing would be
solved by “radical measures such as the abolition of a legitimate pastime”.

Mr Cutajar was first convicted in 2003 when caught illegally hunting at sea, for possession of a shotgun capable of firing more than three rounds and for possession of lead shot with heavy gauge, which is more than the permitted size.

Then, during the 2006 spring hunting season, he was found in possession of a dead protected owl at l-Aħrax in Mellieħa and was also convicted for relapsing. He lost the appeal. In November of the same year, he was given a onemonth
probationary sentence for once again hunting at sea while overspeeding.

Hubert Suda was found guilty in 2009 for being in possession of a modified shotgun permitting more than the three rounds allowed by law. Birkirkara football player Angus Buhagiar was caught hunting illegally during the closed season in 2012 and releasing a captive song thrush to be shot later – he
was sentenced on June 12 the following year.

Glenn Ghirxi was caught by police using a bird caller in Burmarrad on November 13, 2008 and fined €200, while boxer Clayton Vella from Birżebbuġia was found guilty of a contravention of the arms ordinance act when he failed to make
sure his firearm did not end up in the hands of third parties.

On behalf of the Yes campaign, the sportsmen argued it was “simply not fair to eliminate a legal practice”, adding that “respect is a fundamental principle in every sports discipline”.

The hunting federation, FKNK, has repeatedly stated it adopted a zero-tolerance approach to illegalities.