Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1237083
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 APRIL 2020 OPINION have not changed in any detail since 2003… unlike the nature of the crisis that those rules were originally devised to ca- ter for: which (as you surely don't need me to tell you) have changed beyond recognition over the intervening 17 years. And this, I fear, is the real dy- namic underpinning the Com- mission's statement this week: i.e., that it is 'up to Malta and Italy to find a solution for who will take in migrants stuck out at sea'. All along, it was the Com- mission's job to change that scenario… but it failed to do so; and now, instead of sticking to the plan regardless, and at least trying to achieve those objec- tives anyway… it has effectively thrown in the towel altogether, thus cementing the status quo. We now have it, directly from the Commission's own mouth, that… 'sorry, folks but you're on your own'. And this inevitably raises questions about other as- pects of the same Commission's objectives: including the one about 'strengthening Europe's borders'. Is that also the sole responsi- bility of the border states, might I ask? Does the Commission seriously expect Malta (with its grand total of 10 patrol boats) and Italy (currently grappling with a plague of quasi-Bibli- cal proportions) to secure the entire southern frontier of the EU… single-handedly? At a time when Libya is plunged into civil war, and a large-scale hu- manitarian crisis is now more or less unavoidable…? If so – and it certainly looks that way, at the moment – then it would only be natural for the same two countries to question whether the EU still even exists at all… not to mention whether there is any point in remaining members. By all accounts, Italy is already asking itself that very question; and it is probably just a matter of time before the same disillu- sionment sets in just as deeply here. And whose responsibility will that be, I wonder? Hmm… SO, as the world and country faces an un- precedented pandemic, the responsible among us self-isolate. However, those of us quarantining in the countryside where hunting takes place are experiencing add- ed salt to the wound: the non-stop blasts of gunfire of over 6,000 guns! Mġarr has been a paradise to live in – until now. How can I describe the mis- ery of being stuck in a place where every daily activity – sleep, breakfast, Zoom meetings are constantly punctuated by sharp, piercing, headache-inducing gun blasts? With regards to my own life, the re- percussions of the government's un- fortunate decision to allow hunting to continue are vast. My teaching career demands that I record many videos and hold several online video-chats. Now, almost every single recording or meet- ing I have is interrupted by the hideous noise of shooting. I am also an artist who records a lot of music – but now I have to factor in this most unwelcome and painful accompaniment. Worse, as a sufferer of PTSD, each and every shot makes me jump in fear. The unpredictable noise triggers an uncontrollable, physiological adrenal response within my system, that leaves me shaking long after the shot has died. And then the anger comes. Why do the rights of a brutal few who, of all things, get pleasure from killing harm- less little, beautiful birds, supplant the rights of the rest of us who value peace and beauty? Why do these idiots have a right to negatively affect me psycho- logically, day after day, hour after hour, for no other reason than their perverse bloodlust? Technically, the hunters are supposed to stop by 1pm, but I can firmly attest that the gunfire blasts go on all day. Even at 1am this morning, I was awok- en by two sharp shots of the gun! These guys just don't stop. Birds matter. They control the insect populations. Malta has a dreadful mos- quito problem probably brought on by the brutal slaughter of all our avian spe- cies! They also play a vital role in dis- persing seeds and pollinating plants. If we could stop hunting to allow raptors back into our environment (wouldn't it be nice to have our iconic Maltese falcon back?), larger scavenger birds would be able to remove the decaying flesh of animals that have passed (and, sadly, there never seems to be any end of small dead birds on the ground). Birds bring us beauty and comfort. Their songs cheer us up, especially when we are stuck indoors 24/7 facing the longest and most frightening period of isolation in our lives. Their beautiful bodies, swooping motions, and mel- odies lift our spirits. When we watch them fly, we too can experience the joy of flight. As has been well documented, the bird-hunters do not stay within the confines of the law. Over and over again, there are constant news reports of hunters killing rare and endangered species—something that infuriates oth- er nations, especially as nearly all of the birds migrating to these islands are pro- tected under EU law. But these hunters are rarely, if ever, prosecuted. What gives Malta the right to kill an- imals on a migratory path from Africa to Scandinavia? Over 398 species of birds – flamingos, kestrels, swifts, bit- terns, the rare Montagu's harrier – are all killed when they stop to sojourn here on their tiring path over the Mediterra- nean. This is a devastation for our en- tire hemisphere. It is beyond tragic that not only does Malta fail to acknowledge the harm these hunters are wreaking on their neighbours, but also the vast destruc- tion being conducted to our environ- ment. Malta, like every nation upon this planet, has an ethical responsibility to protect its fragile and ever-disappearing natural world. With a little more educa- tion and awareness, Malta can be trans- formed into a birdwatching haven. Shooting creatures with cameras in- stead of guns is a far safer and more fun activity that would both teach and attract people, especially children, to nature – something we all desperately need. Please, let's make our country, our planet and our lives better: protect our environment and end this nonsensical slaughter of innocent creatures! Dawn Adrienne-Saliba Gunshots are making us miserable Dr Dawn Adrienne-Saliba conducts postgraduate work in archaeology at the University of Malta Why do the rights of a brutal few who, of all things, get pleasure from killing harmless little, beautiful birds, supplant the rights of the rest of us who value peace and beauty?