BBC journalist Chris Packham returned this week to film a second documentary series, this time on life in Malta after the spring hunting referendum. Ivan Martin asked about that and his viewers’ boycott after Malta – Massacre on Migration.
“We’ve picked up on the post-referendum story. Of course, we are looking at the situation in the Mediterranean in general but the Maltese referendum was significant for many reasons, so we came back to look at that,” BBC journalist Chris Packham said yesterday.
The ornithologist, who for several years presented the BBC’s popular Springwatch, was reluctant to go into much detail about his latest work, due to air next Christmas, but said he had come to add “to what we got the first time”.
Mr Packham sparked controversy two years ago with a series of video blogs entitled Malta – Massacre on Migration. The videos documented his experience during the 2014 spring hunting season and featured a week in which he was detained by police, assaulted by gun-wielding hunters, and horrified by the sight of “dozens of dead protected birds”.
His videos, all six of which boast some 30,000 views on YouTube, saw the Twittersphere erupt with calls for a tourism boycott of the island.
Mr Packham, however, was adamant he did not support anything which “hurt Malta’s reputation”. “From the outset, we have been very clear that we do not in any way wish to encourage or advocate a boycott of Malta,” he said.
From the outset, we have been very clear that we do not in any way wish to encourage or advocate a boycott
Many who viewed his original videos, he said, were understandably shocked and expressed anger at what they saw. What he wants, however, is “very much the reverse” of a boycott.
“If people boycott Malta they’re not going to hurt the hunters.
“They’re going to hurt a lot of people who are very hospitable. It is a great place to come visit, and we do not want people not to come,” he said.
Mr Packham said that if spring hunting were to be outlawed by the authorities, he would personally recommend it as a birding destination.
“The UK is the number one bird fan nation in the world, and Malta is an ornithological paradise. If the shooting and killing ceased, I would happily lead bird tourists here,” he said.
During his short stay this week, Mr Packham has regularly tweeted about his experiences, using the hashtag #wheredovesdie. In his latest social media manoeuvre, Mr Packham yesterday asked his 153,000 followers to turn the heat on European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella and Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes and urged tweeters to “ask why turtle doves are still being shot”.
He believes Brussels holds the key to ending spring hunting locally and wants the public to pile on the pressure to effect change. During his stay, Mr Packham claims to have witnessed the illegal shooting of protected species, as well as encountering several others which had “clearly recently been shot”.
Mr Packham said that a recent Birdlife International report had shown that some 22 million birds were being killed in the Mediterranean region every year.
Malta, he said, contributed a very small part of this, with countries like Egypt and Italy making up the lion’s share of shots fired.
Asked, why he had shone a spotlight specifically on Malta, therefore, Mr Packham said that UK audiences felt an affinity for Malta, which allowed them to link what was going on here to their gardens in Britain.
Also, the turbulent political climate across North Africa and much of the Middle East had partially informed his decision, as they had “bigger priorities than illegal bird hunting”.
Mr Packham’s mission against hunting 'well-known' - hunters
In a statement this morning, Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) termed Mr Packham’s claims to have witnessed the illegal shooting of protected species as "a sham to suit his purposes" backed by nothing but his words.
Mr Packham’s mission against hunting and his ways are known to all especially British hunters. His lack of any documented proof is made up for by his damaging propaganda aimed at garnering support.
"This spring hunting season, as confirmed by independent ornithologists CABS and KSU members monitoring the countryside, has seen exceptional observance of our hunting laws.
"KSU deplore the intervention of his sort and note that his collaborators Birdlife Malta are the only ones to benefit from this charade."
KSU said that Mr Packham’s visits infallibly resulted in a string of orchestrated protest letters aimed at the government and the EU Environment Commissioner and thousands of his like-minded followers vouching not to visit Malta.
"In two hours his Twitter Storm in 2014 'succeeded in helping Birdlife Malta raise €50,000 to help continue funding their crucial work'".
KSU wondered what this year’s farce would generate apart from a string of protests from the anti-hunting public and repercussions to the tourism industry.