BirdLife Malta's international petition against illegal hunting has garnered 22,000 signatures from more than 100 countries in one week.

The campaign, aimed at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, demands that hunting legislation be fully enforced and spring hunting banned.

"Although the BirdLife partnership is primarily targeting its members with this petition, support is pouring in from all corners of the globe," said Joseph Mangion, BirdLife president.

"Moreover, opinion polls in Malta have shown that the overwhelming majority is strongly against the illegal killing of migratory birds and the unsustainable practice of spring hunting."

The NGO had submitted a detailed report on how to deal with illegal hunting to Dr Gonzi's office in 2008. It has not received any feedback on the report to date. The organisation will be resubmitting the proposal in the coming days.

Mr Mangion added that BirdLife hoped Dr Gonzi would respect the European Court ruling on spring hunting, which he said had found Malta in breach of the Birds Directive. If the country had to face the European Court again over the issue, it may have to "face hefty fines which will come out of taxpayer's pockets", he added.