In her article 'Trapping is worse than hunting' (The Sunday Times, June 7) Anne Zammit made a very naive comparison between Malta and Cyprus regarding breeding finches. No mention was made of the vast differences between the two islands, including habitat.
Most of Cyprus's birds are found in the remote and undeveloped Karpas peninsula which provides a natural, unpolluted habitat. The rest inhabit the Akamas peninsula on the west coast, one of the few wild places left in Cyprus.
According to Wikipedia: due to the mountainous nature of the Akamas peninsula, there are no roads running through its heartland. As the area is therefore relatively inaccessible there is diversity of flora and fauna. Where do we have such places in Malta? Birdlife should stop making false comparisons.
Why did Ms Zammit declare that there was "no sign of reinforcements for the police force's already overstretched Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) branch". Where, if not from Birdlife, did she get this information? The ALE has been doing a very good job in recent months, evidenced by the number of successful cases brought before the courts.
Ms Zammit refers to the case of "a pensioner who was arrested after he was caught trapping, hurled bottles and bit the policemen."
The facts were otherwise. One police officer was in fact transferred to other duties, and the whole incident is under investigation and before the court. Furthermore, the Federation of Hunters and Trappers (FKNK) is assisting this person who will be instituting legal proceedings.
Ms Zammit ought to know that it is Birdlife who should read - and understand - the Birds Directive. It is Birdlife who "should have done its homework instead of whining and complaining now".
The EU has rules and regulations, as well as exceptions to those rules, which it is "very difficult for Birdlife to digest and understand". These exceptions are called derogations, and every country can make use of them.
"National embarrassment" and, worse, Europe-wide embarrassment, was caused by Birdlife's antics within the Ornis Committee, the European Parliament, the EU Petitions Committee, and the European Court of Justice.
Both before and after Malta's accession to the EU, Birdlife Malta had accepted spring hunting of turtledoves and quails; however, they later changed tack and started using every means to have it banned.
Environmental matters are no monopoly of Birdlife Malta. Hunters, be they shooters or trappers, are part and parcel of the environment, and most of them are part-time farmers anyway.
The negative attitude shown by Birdlife Malta reeks of intolerant extremism, which has no place in a society that has embraced EU ideals, catering also for cultural diversity and healthy traditions within a framework of sustainability.