The Hunters Federation (FKNK) has protested that the reservoir which has been made home by a bevy of swans in Gozo has been closed to the public other thean BirdLife volunteers.

"Wild birds do not belong to BirdLife and the society is not the only local entity qualified to speak about wild birds," the federation said in a statement today.

"Once the Wild Birds Regulation Unit and the Veterinary Directorate have decided to close off the site in Marsalforn, the area should be closed for everyone," be it hunters, trappers, the general public and BirdLife activists," the federation said.

The authorities, it added, should stop being slaves of BirdLife Malta.

It accused the society of arrogance and said its activists only turned up at the site four days after the swans flew in, while hunters had been protecting them from day one. 

The FKNK wondered how BirdLife had decided that the swans were weak and should not be fed by the public, when photos showed them to be healthy.

The federation thanked hunters and trappers monitoring the site, especially a young hunter who rescued a swan when it was attacked by a  Muschovy duck.

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