Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/388498
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2014 News 15 BIRD trappers are illegally selling greenfinches in the city centre in Rabat, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) said. A CABS team disguised as tourists visited the stalls on Saturday and saw how birds were offered for sale at prices ranging be- tween €30 and €100. "We saw about 20 cages with green- finches placed on a wall and many people standing around. We asked one of the men what he was doing and he answered that he is selling the birds," CABS volunteer Jonathan Blair said. "When we saw that most of the birds had no rings, we alerted the police." A joint AFM/ALE patrol and a MEPA official arrived on the scene within 20 minutes and the bird own- ers were taken to the Rabat police station for questioning. "According to Maltese law, it is ille- gal to sell any finches without closed rings which prove that they have been bred in captivity," CABS said. "We provided the police with the particulars of four of our volunteers who can testify that the birds were offered for sale. We will upload pho- tos and video footage which show the unringed birds as well as one of the trappers confirming that he is selling them." "It is safe to assume that the birds have either been caught illegally in Malta or have been smuggled into the country," CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said. "The illegal trade of wild-caught finches is a big business in Malta, with an estimated volume of hundreds of thousands of euro per year." "This has nothing to do with tradi- tion. It is about making money." CABS said that it has reported over 20 illegal bird trapping operations, most of them targeting greenfinches, between March and April this year. HUNTERS all over Europe urged the European Union to recognise their environmental role, during a conference organised in Brussels by the European Federation of Associa- tions for Hunting and Conservation (FACE). Representatives of the Maltese government and hunting federation FKNK were present for the confer- ence, organised in collaboration with the European Commission. FACE urged the European Un- ion to recognise the positive role of hunting in wildlife conservation and habitat restoration and claimed its right to be seen as a fully-fledged en- vironmental organisation. The conference was held on Tues- day on the occasion of the 35th an- niversary of the Birds Directive, and inaugurated by Janez Potočnik, Eu- ropean Commissioner for the Envi- ronment. Themed 'A new vision for the Birds Directive and the Positive role of hunting', the conference discussed how hunting and the Birds Directive are not in contradiction. "On the contrary, hunting and hunters contribute actively to the conservation of wild birds, habitats and biodiversity. The Directive fully recognizes the legitimacy of hunting as a form of sustainable use, provid- ing significant social, cultural, eco- nomic and environmental benefits. In effect, European hunters are op- erating as a fully-fledged environ- mental organisation contributing to reach the targets set out by EU policy makers," FACE said. FACE also quoted outgoing En- vironment Commissioner Janez Potočnik as having recognised the hunters' important role in wild bird conservation. "For over 35 years, the Birds Direc- tive has helped protect Europe's wild birds. Responsible and sustainable hunting has also played an important role, supported by agreements be- tween hunters and bird conservation organisations, such as the one we are celebrating today between BirdLife and FACE. It's encouraging to see the hunting community adopting such a pro-active approach to bird conservation and giving such high- profile recognition to the EU Nature legislation," Potočnik said. Speakers gave examples of projects and initiatives carried out by hunters aiming at the conservation of wild bird species, habitats restoration, and improvement of the scientific knowledge of migratory as well as land birds, often in cooperation with other environmental stakeholders. The presentation, FACE said, high- lighted how legislation alone was not enough for wildlife conservation, and cooperation between citizens and in- stitutions must also be pursued. Concrete actions and motivated people at ground level are funda- mental for the achievement of the goals set out by the Birds Directive. In 35 years European hunters have demonstrated to be effective part- ners in achieving these objectives – when and where recognised, the conference concluded. The conference was attended by key officials from the European Com- mission's DG Environment, MEPs and representatives from other po- litical and conservation institutions and organisations and featured high- level speakers from the Commission, NGOs, science, national politics and hunting associations. The Federation for Hunting & Conservation - Malta (FKNK), a FACE member since 1987, was rep- resented at the conference by its president, Joseph Perici Calascione and its CEO, Lino Farrugia. Maltese government representatives were also present. The conference also marked the 10 years of an agreement signed by BirdLife International and FACE which was characterised by con- structive dialogue between the two organisations. FACE stands firm on its commit- ment taken with BirdLife Interna- tional, not to support initiatives aimed at amending the text of the Birds Directive, believing that such initiatives would only weaken the current provisions of the Directive, which is not in the interest of either party. "The interpretations of this Direc- tive must be conducted with more flexibility in order to prevent disputes that are unrelated to the conservation status of birds. The top priority for the future is the protection of habi- tats, and it is crucial to have an ex- tensive network of motivated people on the ground actually achieving con- servation objectives," FACE president Gilbert de Turckheim said. TEODOR RELJIC IT'S hardly the Black Death, but the threat of head lice is at the fore- front of many a parent's mind as the new scholastic year rolls in. It's less about enduring negative effects on health, and more of a cosmetic spot of bother. Not that you can exactly blame parents, teachers and – perhaps es- pecially – children for wanting to (quite literally) nip the problem in the bud: let's be honest, who wants to have little bugs making a temporary home of their scalp? Though intrinsically harmless in the long run, the head louse – Pedic- ulus humanus capitis – is kind of gross by proxy: its job is to latch onto the human scalp, feeding on its host's blood to stay alive. And in what is perhaps the most disgusting detail of the ordeal, they then proceed to lay their eggs – commonly referred to as 'nits' – in the host's hair. It's not a carrier of disease – that dubious honour goes to its cousin, the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) – but given that it spreads in much the same way as a contagion among young children in schools every year, the head louse often comes packaged with an appropri- ate degree of mass concern (not to say hysteria) among teachers and parents. Aiming to reach the scalp at all costs, head lice effectively play Tar- zan with hair: using strands of it to find purchase before digging their teeth in. Which is why rowdy school kids in particular will be vulnerable to the overzealous little bugs year in and year out: they're bound to bump into each other as they run and play, leaving ample space and time for the lice to spread their dominion over entire school populations. How to deal with head lice For starters, head lice and nits can be tough to spot. Apart from being tiny, they are often effectively cam- ouflaged by the host's hair. Which is why it's best to go blitzkrieg on the beasties rather than tackling them individually. One common 'home hack' for head lice is simply brushing the buggers away. Coating the victim's hair in olive oil and going through it with a fine-tooth comb will isolate and catch them. Though its effectiveness has been debated, tea-tree oil is also some- times used as a home remedy for head lice, with parents applying it to their children's scalp overnight in a bid to eradicate the little invaders. Speaking to MaltaToday, general practitioner Dr Patrick Mahoney al- so pointed out that topical treatment and creams can be used, such as for example Permethrin. And although the belief that "dirty" and "poor" children are more prone to hosting lice has long been de- bunked, Mahoney recommends "good general hygiene" as a starting point precaution to keep lice at bay as schools open their doors this sea- son. "It's also recommended to screen the child's scalp, gather up long hair and, as far as is possible, avoid situa- tions in which children's hair comes into close contact." One local pharmacist who pre- ferred to remain anonymous opined that, in fact, concern about head lice among primary school children may in fact be a tad overzealous. This is an opinion that appears to be gaining traction even internationally, with publications like Slate and The New York Times running op-ed pieces suggesting everyone take a chill pill when it comes to head lice; especially when draconian measures are ap- plied, such as removing a child from call – the head lice 'patient zero' – until they are free of them to avoid the risk of infecting the rest of the class. However, Mahoney disagrees that too much of a fuss is made about head lice each year, and that "if any- thing, more education is needed" since one infected child could po- tentially invade an entire classroom with relative ease. "I believe that parents should be better educated about it, along with more efficient screening at school," Mahoney said. Head lice: the back-to-school scourge Volunteer team uncovers illegal finch trade in Rabat Hunters urge EU to recognise their environmental role Harmless but irritating, head lice can be dealt with easily JOHN PISANI A Libyan teenager was arrested by the police after catching him red- handed damaging cars in Swieqi. The police were alerted by watch- ful residents who early yesterday, at around 5.30am, saw the 18-year- old student damaging cars in their neighbourhood. The young man was soon arrested by the police, PC Shaun Axiaq and PC Brian Tonna from the District Police. It was thanks to the help of a resident that the student was ap- prehended, stone in hand, allegedly ready to break a car's window. Officers from the Rapid Interven- tion Unit were called and were on site within minutes. The incident happened in Triq il- Qasam. Visibly drunk, the teenager imme- diately let go of the stone when he was ordered to do so by the police. The police found in his possession parts of a window mechanism of a Volkswagen Polo, retrieved after breaking a window. He was arrested and taken to the police station for further investiga- tions. Police Inspector Trevor Mi- callef was informed about the case. Teenager caught red-handed damaging cars in Swieqi