Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/490723
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 APRIL 2015 Opinion 20 C all me delusional, but one of the more disappointing aspects of the spring hunting debate so far has been the lack of any real discussion about the actual ecological impact of hunting in Malta. From a campaign point of view, I can more or less understand why the 'No' lobby would approach the issue from a 'social justice' perspective instead: presenting it as a fight to reclaim the countryside, for instance; or a constant stream of reminders of how disgracefully hunters have behaved in the past. But to me, such concerns are actually quite peripheral. I will vote 'No' in next Saturday's referendum, not because I was once (several times, actually) chased out of Buskett by a bunch of gun-toting troglodytes in the 1980s… nor because of the constant threats and political blackmail to which the hunting lobby has consistently resorted over the decades... nor even because of the sometimes outrageous acts of violence and vandalism perpetrated by individual hunters on the persons and property of all who have opposed or defied them over the years. Do these things annoy me? Yes, of course they do. But nowhere near as much as the sheer damage caused by this activity to Malta's entire natural heritage in the last few decades. This country could be a paradise for migratory birds in spring. Instead, we have wantonly and willingly turned it into a graveyard. So I will vote 'No' next Saturday for only one reason to speak of: because I sincerely believe that spring hunting is a perversion of the natural order which has caused untold damage to Malta's wildlife over the years. And its consequences have been serious. We have literally permitted the wholesale eradication of birds that once bred in not-inconsiderable numbers in Malta… including apex predators like Peregrine falcons, Kestrels and Barn owls. From that perspective, I see no actual need to get side-tracked by other, ancillary issues. Protecting breeding birds has always been reason enough to ban hunting in spring… at least, to me. But ticking away in the background is this underlying The call of the wild Raphael Vassallo