After a period of silence or reflection, Mark Mifsud Bonnici, the somewhat verbose voice of the Kaċċaturi San Ubertu, has as usual shot himself in the foot (January 7).

He bases his vitriol against the government and BirdLife by quoting from the RSPB-UK website which states that British cats catch up to 55 million birds. Of course, as is usual with hunters and trappers, he does not go on to specify that the bulk of this catch are not finches, but common birds such as sparrows, martins, blackbirds, etc., all of which frequent gardens.

Where he shot himself in the foot is his statement that, according to statistics from FKNK - and we all know how honest and accurate these are! - only a few thousand finches are trapped annually, and "these are kept for breeding purposes, as decoys for the next year's trapping season and for the enjoyment of their song."

Let's say, for argument's sake, the few thousands claimed by the FKNK amount to 3,000. That means that in the six years since I returned to Malta, 18,000 of these lovely birds have been trapped (and incarcerated in inhumanely small cages).

Now if only half were kept for breeding, at a conservative estimate of six chicks per year per pair, 27,000 finches must have hatched by now, making a total of 45,000 in captivity. That's one finch for every 10 men, women and children in Malta!

So tell me, Mr Mifsud Bonnici, why do trappers need to continue catching these beautiful song birds? Haven't they got enough by now?

Mr Mifsud Bonnici goes on to say that trappers catch the finch to enjoy its song. Of course, this verifies what most of us think of hunters and trappers. They are selfish, greedy and self-opinionated, for by trapping and keeping these birds, they are denying us and our children from enjoying their musical choruses, as well as seeing them flying over our small and barren (of birds) island.

Unfortunately, in Mellieħa I am surrounded by hunters and trappers resplendent in their "commando" outfits. And funnily enough, I have yet to join in their pleasure by hearing their captives sing.

Before I went to England in 1961, I lived in Paola next door to a trapper whose small yard was infested with mini cages hanging on the walls. I didn't hear them sing then, either. All I know is that we "lost" our beloved cat - poisoned because it had the temerity to walk on top of our communal wall. And he had the temerity to admit to the deed!

Trapping, like hunting, is not a custom or a hobby. It is, like smoking, a bad habit...an addiction. And at last, the government has had the guts to find a cure for it.