This afternoon the Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting* thanked the Maltese people for their courage and resolve in standing up for wildlife against the illegal and unsustainable killing of migrating bird in spring.

“Every Maltese person who signed the petition to call for a referendum to stop spring hunting should take pride in their part in protecting our wildlife and defending the rights of all of us to enjoy our countryside in spring,” said Coalition spokesperson Rodolfo Ragonesi.

Standing on top of the Victoria Lines near Mosta with a view looking out over the valley towards Burmarrad, representatives of the 13 organisations in the Coalition had joined one of BirdLife Malta’s Spring Watch teams for the afternoon in the countryside.

Maltese and overseas volunteers enjoyed an afternoon mostly free of shooting, after the 2pm hunting curfew, seeing migrating Barn Swallows, (Huttafa in Maltese), Swifts (Rundun), Kestrels (Spanjulett) and Harriers (Baghadan).

According to one local volunteer, “In the morning, it’s very different. There are hunters everywhere, hundreds of gunshots all around and every bird you see you are worried that it might be killed.”

The number of Maltese volunteers joining Spring Watch has gone up over the years, as people’s awareness of the devastating impact of spring hunting on birds and frustration at the continuing killing of protected birds and lack of access to the countryside in spring has increased.

“The fact that 44,000 Maltese people have exercised their constitutional right to demand a referendum on the issue of spring hunting shows that the current situation- with hunters in Malta occupying the countryside for three weeks in spring, depriving others of their right to enjoy public areas and killing threatened birds before they breed – is not acceptable.” Said Dr Ragonesi

“Our understanding and appreciation of wildlife and nature has come a long way since the days when these things were seen only as an infinite resource there to be exploited to our fullest ability. We now know that we can’t just take and take from nature without restraint if we are to avoid causing irreparable damage and destroying that which we should be protecting.”

“It may be that our birds will take many years to recover from the damage already done by spring hunting, but that is all the more reason to stop it sooner rather than later. We cannot wait until there are no birds left. By then it will be too late.”

“We expect the referendum to be called in time to make this the last spring hunting season the Maltese people and migrating birds have to endure.”

*The Coalition is made up of the following organisations: Alternattiva Demokratika, Birdlife Malta, Coalition for Animal Rights, Din l-Art Helwa, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Gaia Foundation, Greenhouse Malta, International Animal Rescue Malta, Moviment Graffiti, Nature Trust and Ramblers Association of Malta.