Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/497863
14 If last week's referendum failed to put a stop to spring hunting, at least it did serve to raise general local awareness of the spectacu- lar phenomenon of bird migration over Malta. In recent weeks, facts and figures about Maltese avifauna flew about in all directions, and you would be hard-pressed to find a single indi- vidual who has never heard of a Co- turnix coturnix or a Streptopelia tur- tur as a result. On a per capita level, it is probably no exaggeration to say that the Maltese are now collectively the single most knowledgeable na- tion in the world on the subject of birds. One of the things we have learnt about migratory birds is that they are by no means the only visitors in spring and autumn. Our bi-annual migration seasons also attract a growing number of wildlife conser- vation activists each year. One of the more recently-observed of these springtime migrants is 73-year-old British comedian and author (and television presenter, and songwriter, and ornithologist, etc.) Bill Oddie… whom some of us might remember as one third of 'The Goodies', the comic trio that bequeathed to the world such unforgettable musical moments as 'The Funky Gibbon' in the 1970s. Meanwhile, just as our knowl- edge of springtime migrant visitors has grown, so too has international knowledge of the ongoing contro- versy that is spring hunting in Malta. Oddie himself may only be a recent visitor to Malta – this was his second trip here – but he has monitored the situation from afar for the better part of 40 years. "To be perfectly honest, I don't think there's anyone who cares about wildlife and birds who hasn't known about Malta's reputation for a very, very long time," he tells me as we settle down for this interview. "I remember how, years and years ago, I was with a bunch of birdwatchers considering where to go in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Eve- rybody said, 'don't go to Malta, be- cause they just kill everything there'. Malta has had that image for years. So there's nothing new there.…" His voice tails off to almost a sigh. The bitterness of his disappointment at the referendum result is evident even in his tone of voice. In an attempt to cheer him up, I in- vite him to consider the arguments regularly brought forward by Mal- tese hunters over the past few weeks. Spring hunting may have been le- gally retained, but the level of law enforcement has increased (at least since the 1980s, when there wasn't even a wildlife protection law to en- force), and that therefore the situa- tion is actually improving despite the referendum setback. "I've heard the same thing, but I can't claim to have witnessed any evidence for it myself. But even if it were true, and most of the hunters really do stick by the rules, it doesn't take many people who don't stick by the rules to ruin it for the rest. I would have hoped that the hunters, among themselves, would know who these people are, and would be very angry at them for ruining their repu- tation…" Another sigh. "But the question which also has to be asked – and amazingly, it doesn't seem to be – is about what's legal, not what's il- legal. The rule which allows people to shoot quail and turtle doves in spring is in itself absolutely absurd. It was pushed through by what they call a 'derogation'. God knows how. It smacks of strange bribery and fa- vours, because the numbers of turtle dove in particular are plummeting all the time. I have discussed this with hunters in Malta, and they keep in- sisting that it's not their fault. They argue that the populations are dwin- dling because of conditions in Africa or Northern Europe. That's also true: nobody denies that. But if you're also going to shoot them in spring… well, you might as well hammer the last nail into their coffin." Mention of the derogation inevi- tably reminds us of the role politics has played in the spring hunting is- sue over the years. Both Malta's main political parties promised to repre- sent the hunters' interests as part of their own platforms – EU accession or 'Partnership', depending who won – and as a result there has been broad political consensus that Malta should be permitted to kill birds in spring. And political influence seems to affect hunting issues in other countries, too. Bill Oddie has cam- paigned against hunting in many parts of the world, not just Malta. Does he himself see any correlation between hunting and politics on a global level? "Massive," comes the instant reply. "Yes, absolutely, I see it everywhere I go. I'm quite happy to include Britain in that, by the way. Our major issue at the moment is the shooting indus- try in Britain. I may not seem, on the face of it, to be as bad as shooting mi- gratory birds… but a lot of us think it's even worse. They breed birds, particularly pheasants and partridge, purely for shooting. And there is no question whatsoever that this is sup- ported by a certain and number of politicians… and a certain type of politician, if it comes to that. Quite a lot of them have country estates, or have friends who go shooting. The Tory government is trying to bring back some forms of hunting that have been banned. But I've seen the same pattern in many countries all around the world – from Malaysia, where I went I couple of years ago, to Armenia, where I was last year. Peo- ple are doing really brave things to save their wildlife, and time and time again you come up against the 'rich hunter syndrome'…" Oddie however concedes that the situation in Malta does not entirely match the usual pattern. "At least in Malta, you can say that hunting is a widespread thing. It's not just rich people, I accept that. But in a way it makes it more difficult, be- cause you feel like you're giving a hard time to people who really could do with some kind of pastime…" The link between power and hunt- ing, he adds, is most visible in coun- tries where hunting is also big busi- ness. "In a lot of the countries where it's all to do with big game animals, for example, you get oligarchs coming over from Russia with helicopters – literally – landing on top of the Caucasian mountains and shooting leopards. There seems to be some connection between people in pow- er, and enjoying going out killing an- imals and birds. And probably there always has been…" At the same time, you don't have to shoot a leopard or a rhino to be accused of animal cruelty. We heard this argument throughout the ref- erendum campaign. Hunters (in Malta and elsewhere) consistently accuse wildlife activists of hypocrisy: the same people who shriek in hor- ror at the killing of a bird very often have no qualms about eating turkey at Christmas (or quail on a TV pro- gramme), or wearing leather, and so on... Oddie however dismisses this point as "part of a dossier of arguments that always crop up when people who are in favour of shooting come across people who aren't." It seems he got his fair share of it in Malta himself. "Unbelievably, we had one evening in the hotel – I won't mention the ho- tel by name, because it was delightful except for this one incident – when a group of birdwatchers I was with were talking in one corner in the lob- by. Suddenly the receptionist started haranguing us. I don't think his boss would have been very pleased. 'Why don't you go home, we hate the Brit- ish coming here and telling us what to do', and so on. Then he said: 'I don't come to your country and pro- test about the Grand National…'" Bill Oddie breaks into a laugh. "To which, naturally, I said: 'Well, you can… you're very welcome to… we're against it too…" As for the hypocrisy argument, Oddie retorts that there is a differ- ence between killing for sustenance and killing for fun. "We all accept that there were vari- ous stages in whatever country's his- tory when hunting for food was nec- essary. In some parts of the world it might be for skins to keep warm. But the idea of killing a wild thing which is beautiful in its own right, just for the sake of it… that's different." There is meanwhile another argu- ment to justify spring hunting: that it should be retained for its entertain- ment value alone. We've all heard hunters argue that, deprived of their two weeks of shooting in April, they would fall into depression and pos- Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 APRIL 2015 Killing joy POWER There seems to be some connection between people in power, and enjoying going out killing animals and birds. And probably there always has been If the price of your so-called sanity is to actually blast the living daylights out of something as beautiful as a migratory bird… you will get depressed one way or another. You're killing joy DEPRESSION