A BirdLife park ranger escaped with slight injuries yesterday after he was shot at for the second time in two years.

The incident happened when ranger Ray Vella went to the Foresta 2000 reserve he tends to in Mellieħa as usual at 6 a.m. to find that one of the padlocked gates had been forced open.

As he got out of his car to inspect the damage, Mr Vella said someone hidden in the trees fired shots at him, injuring him in his right ear and leaving bruises on his head.

"His vehicle's lights were on and it was dawn, so I don't think he was mistaken for a bird. This was not a chance accident. He was ambushed. His aggressor was waiting for him. The act was premeditated," BirdLife president Joseph Mangion told a press conference.

The incident has sparked outrage among a number of environmental and political organisations, which said action had to be taken once and for all. Mr Mangion said the organisation had been targeted about 20 times in the past two and a half years but so far no one had been brought to justice.

"We want to see results. We do not want to hear any more promises or condemnation. The lack of action is protecting the perpetrators," Mr Mangion said.

"We believe there needs to be a strong message from the authorities. We find it hard to understand why no one has been brought to justice yet. We're not saying the police are not doing enough. But questions are being asked."

Mr Vella had also been shot at in the face in October 2007 by a hunter who later turned himself in.

The ranger chose not to press charges against him because of medical reasons but the police still charged him in court. The case continued, the police said yesterday.

Then, in June 2008, Mr Vella's family farm, also in Mellieħa, was set on fire while olive trees were uprooted and oil was poured down his freshwater well.

Din l-Art Ħelwa president Martin Galea, who was also present for the press conference because the Foresta 2000 site was a joint project between the two organisations and the government's parks department, described the incident as "very serious", recalling that Mr Vella had been singled out and targeted a number of times.

"I don't know who did it. I imagine it was a hunter. It doesn't mean all hunters are the same, obviously not, but there is a criminal element there and I appeal to everyone, hunters included, to try and get information to the police as soon as possible to catch the person responsible," Mr Galea said.

Mr Galea insisted that the organisations would "not be intimidated" by such acts but said that, in light of the incident, the security measures of the site had to be reconsidered.

"Mr Vella is very courageous. But we have to see whether it makes sense for him to continue going to the site alone every day because if this were to happen a third time, he might not be so lucky," he concluded.

The ranger was released from hospital yesterday morning but did not want to be photographed.

The police have so far questioned one person in connection with the incident.

Investigations are ongoing and a magisterial inquiry is underway.

When contacted, Lino Farrugia, secretary of the hunters' federation, FKNK, said he was not familiar with the circumstances of the case but the federation condemned any incident of this nature. The Rural Affairs Ministry said it would continue to back the Foresta 2000 project and that Minister George Pullicino, who is abroad, had phoned BirdLife and DLĦ to express solidarity as soon as he heard what had happened.

The Labour Party, Alternattiva Demokratika and the Mellieħa local council also condemned the incident.

Labour described the attack as an evil act that could have had grave consequences.

It expressed solidarity with Mr Vella, his family and BirdLife, which, with much sacrifice, maintained the reserve.

AD chairman Arnold Cassola hoped that those who resorted to firearms and extreme violence would be brought to justice as quickly as possible.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com