Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/926403
maltatoday SUNDAY 14 JANUARY 2018 Interview 14 By Raphael Vassallo It seems a long time ago today, but in 2008, thousands of angry hunters descended upon Valletta to protest against the abrupt closure of the spring hunting season. Since then, the season has been re- opened... the Maltese government has applied a derogation for trapping seven species of finches (when the Wild Birds Directive prohibits the live capture of any species at all)... and the hunting hours at Majjistral Park have been extended from 10 am to 2.30pm. At a glance, there seems to be a 'special relationship' between the Labour Party and the hunters' lobby... which has worked out spectacularly to the advantage of hunters, and to the detriment of all who argue that the situation is now completely out of hand. Is there, in fact, a secret agreement between Joseph Muscat and the FKNK? There is no agreement as such. What there is, was continuous pressure from our side to recover what we felt had been incorrectly, or unethically, taken away from us. If you remember correctly, before 2013 the Majjistral Park was open for hunting at the usual hours. Then, subsequent to an agreement between the park management and the government of the time, they immediately reduced the hunting hours to 10am.... with the excuse of 'children', etc. You call it an 'excuse', but isn't that a valid argument? The Majjistral Park receives school visits... there will be children (not to mention hikers, families having picnics, etc) roaming the place at the same time as men with guns are shooting at birds. Do you not see a danger in allowing hunting, in a park frequented by children? Look: I've shot in parks all over the UK. People there are restrict- ed to footpaths... and they're not allowed to distract you. The only interaction I personally got from people while shooting in a pub- lic park [in the UK}, was people asking me: 'Did you have a good day?' Here, unfortunately, there is a bit of disparity. With all due respect to campaigns launched against us... we used to be like that, too. The countryside used to be shared. The problems were, for example, if people got too close to cages, and could injure the birds – because they would start flut- tering around, and so on. That I can understand. But 20, 25 years ago, the situation was different. When we encountered people out hunting, we'd have a chat, invite them for a coffee... That sounds to me like a rose-tint- ed view of the situation back then. I used to go birdwatching with MOS (now Birdlife) 25 years ago in places like Buskett, and there were times when were driven off at gunpoint. And it was a nature reserve... Buskett. Yes, OK... certain ar- eas will remain certain areas... but who do you think was responsible for eliminating all the incredible illegal shooting that used to take place there? We did it: we, together with the Environment Monitor- ing Board, Birdlife, the army, and a government representative. Do you think we condone illegal hunting? No, we don't. On the contrary, we believe that what we are suffering today – we're at the tail end – is all because of people abusing their legal rights and responsibilities. Hunters shooting protected birds. That's what we believe. But let's be honest: the problem has decreased drastically... Has it really? Just yesterday there were reports of widespread trapping illegalities, carried out with impunity. With every hunting season, Birdlife is flooded with injured protected birds... But you have to put things into context. Before, the hunting laws were never properly enforced. And there was no education: something we are now struggling to organ- ise with our members – especially with new applicants – so that they are aware of their responsibilities when going out with a shotgun... If it comes to it, there were no hunting regulations at all before 1981. So the question was really: has it improved enough? The illegal hunting situation still seems rampant... Things get exaggerated, though. Compared to other EU member states, our problem is that every- thing gets magnified here. We're living under a constant micro- scope... everywhere is accessible, everything is visible. Now: if you were hunting in the middle of the Black Forest in Germany: who on earth is going to know what you're up to? Let's keep things in per- spective. But the situation has im- proved: you mention 20, 25 years ago... yes, there was a bit of aggro at the time. The new hunting regula- tions were a bit of a culture shock: 'I can't shoot a honey buzzard? What do you mean I can't shoot a honey buzzard?' I used to try and speak out at the time... but I was like a voice in the wilderness... Coming back to the situation today. My earlier question was not limited to Majjistral Park. The Spring Hunting referendum was another example: Joseph Muscat made it painstakingly clear that he supported the hunting lobby all the way... So did Simon Busuttil... Precisely: and so, in fact did both Labour and PN throughout all these years. Isn't it a case that the hunting lobby has political clout that is far disproportionate to its actual size? [Laughing] The way I see it is the other way round. There could be certain journalists who also have a certain weight, and make certain agreements with governments. Tit for tat. But the bottom line is: we're a lobby group. Come on: you may not agree with us, or what we do... but we're a hunting lobby group. Now: what we do is try to find the middle way– believe me when I say this – so that, at least, our members don't lose more than they have to; and we also try to integrate our- selves more with the general pub- lic, the way we used to. Longer ago than 25 years ago, perhaps; but there was a time when The Times of Malta used to print pictures of rare birds shot in Malta – for ex- ample, pelicans – not as an outrage, but as something newsworthy, something nice. Don't forget we had a colonialist mentality at the time. The British had a tradition of big game hunting – shooting lions in Africa, and so on – and some of that rubbed off on us... Fair enough, but it was a different age. Even some of Malta's pioneering ornithologists in the 19th and early 20th century, were also hunters... But that is still true today. Many ornithologists in Europe today are hunters. Some of the heads of ring- ing schemes in Europe are hunters. I think there is a fine borderline separating these issues: you cannot accept that hunting is a useful tool for conservation... but Birdlife In- ternational does accept it. Hunting IS a useful tool for conservation... I would accept it if it properly convinced. Convince me. How is hunting a conservation tool? It is evident in Malta, but people don't see it. In Europe, for instance, hunters embark on projects. Their work is visible: you can see that there was a dilapidated wetlands area that was restored by hunters, so that they get back the ducks they used to shoot...but that wasn't coming anymore, because their habitat had been destroyed. Now, wetlands involve a whole range of biodiversity: from the minutest in- sect or micro-organism, to the big- ger birds and other animals... You said this is not visible in Malta. Why not? Because... how many trees have you planted in your life? I've plant- ed over 250... That's not an argument. You have to have land to plant trees... OK, but people don't appreci- ate the conservation efforts that are involved. It's true that we do it to attract birds to shoot at... but we're keeping the natural habitat in as natural a condition as possible. Rubble walls, for instance. Hun- dreds of organisms live in them: molluscs, insects, etc. With every storm, these walls get damaged. And it's not just storms. When people go out for snails, they re- move stones and leave them there. We put them back: we try to re-es- tablish the natural habitat as it was. Even in Mizieb: do you know how many skips we fill with rubbish every season? Every summer, our members do a weekend of exten- sive clean-up: and most of the work is because of other people who go there with their cars... or who break branches off trees to tie their tents. You keep saying it's the hunters who cause the damage. In reality, it is a much bigger mentality prob- lem, on a national level. But slowly slowly, it's changing. My children don't throw pieces of paper on the ground. And if a piece of paper falls out of my hand, they'll tell me to pick it up. Today. When I was their age, it was very different. Everyone threw their litter everywhere... But we were talking about 'conservation'. It's not just about maintaining natural habitats. Take spring hunting, for instance. What conservation sense does it make to shoot birds in the breeding season? Isn't it in the hunters' The countryside used to be shared. The problems were, for example, if people got too close to cages, and could injure the birds COUNTRYSIDE A trapping season