On the limits of Xewkija lies a small wood that is kept by the local council as a public park. At the entrance to this woodland stands a prominent sign prohibiting hunting. Walking around this wood is a pleasurable experience but one that is testament to the excesses of hunters and their disregard of pristine surroundings.

The floor of this wood, covering virtually its whole extent, is littered with spent shotgun cartridges. It is bad enough to enter a park with the intention of ignoring the council’s instructions not to hunt but to trash the place with plastic, rusty metal and lead shot is disgraceful.

I bet that Lino Farrugia and David Borg Cardona haven’t seen this example of their members’ ‘conservation efforts’.

My distain at these excesses was further exacerbated when I read that the two secretaries of the hunters’ federation, FKNK, and of St Hubert Hunters defend their members’ right to hunt in Natura 2000 sites (January 28). They criticise Birdlife for calling for nature reserves to be free of hunters and trappers, adding that Birdlife was “militarily trying to abolish our recreational socio-cultural hunting and trapping passions”.

This is another dictatorial rant from these unpleasant organisations. What is ‘military’ about Birdlife? They arm themselves with pens, paper and cameras! Hunters armed with shotguns sound rather more ‘military’ to me – downright threatening.

And what about the recreational socio-cultural passions of those who simply want to take a walk in a nature reserve without being confronted by men with shotguns blasting and feathers falling from the sky? What about the rights of school parties visiting these sites to learn about the wonders of nature instead of indiscriminate killing and littering?

Borg Cardona says Birdlife is “attempting to hijack the electorate to support its anti-hunting stand”. I don’t think Birdlife has to do anything but simply sit back; these two gentlemen and their followers are doing enough to destroy their own credibility without any outside help.

Politicians must realise that hunters and trappers are a tiny minority with money and a loud voice and most of the electorate would love to see their practices totally banned.

The party that pledges to ban hunting and trapping will be surprised at the ease with which they can win an election.