With reference to my letter Difficult To Imagine Any Pleasure From Hunting (April 23), I thank the people who at least answered my question online regarding what they get out of shooting birds.

I have no problems with hunters shooting edible birds to take home for the table. I eat meat but am a bit of a coward in so much as I couldn’t kill the animal myself. What I can’t understand is shooting anything that flies.

Oscar Wilde expressed it very clearly about fox hunting: the unspeakable pursuing the uneatable.

I do read reports in The Times regarding a small minority of hunters shooting protected species.

This is wrong as most people would agree. I’m not suggesting hunters give up their legal hobby/pastime; I’m just at a loss why one can shoot and kill any creature not for the table. We all know this happens all over the world, including here in the UK.

Stefan Micallef seemed not to have read my letter in its entirety.

Did I say hunting should be banned? But sitting in my garden listening to and watching the birds doesn’t cause their deaths, that’s my point. The reasons I wrote to The Times are that, for one, I care about the islands, and, secondly, I have many friends who will not holiday in Malta because of the negative stories about hunters shooting butterflies if nothing better comes along. Whether this is true or not, the perception is harmful for the Maltese islands.

I thank Johnny Xerri for his full explanation on why he pursues his hobby/pastime. It does answer my question to some degree.