Our Animal Rights News may now be found at http://animalrightsmalta.blogspot.com/

The new news pages will also include a commentary on news items in the press, and comments on relevant letters in local newspapers.

The old news pages are being kept here for research purposes.  You will find a link to these pages on the new site (link above).

The federation of hunters and trappers (FKNK) has advised hunters and trappers to put up signs reading "Private" in order to keep out people from entering the land where they hunt and trap.

Such a sign would ensure, the federation said, that no unauthorised persons gain entry, including picnickers, ramblers and, especially, anyone connected with BirdLife Malta.

The federation was reacting to a flyer published by BirdLife Malta and distributed with The Sunday Times yesterday. The leaflet, the federation said, urges a confrontation between the public, in the name of BirdLife, and hunters and trappers.

As if it were not enough, hunters and trappers are shadowed daily by members of the police administrative law enforcement unit, the district police and soldiers, the federation argued.

It said it was not true that 80 per cent of the countryside is controlled by hunters and trappers, as BirdLife was alleging.

Moreover, it refuted BirdLife's allegation that it is unlawful to trap birds after 1 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=258457

Left: The Prime Minister (second, right) inaugurating the project on March 26. Right: The structure reduced to a pile of rubble.

A stone structure erected at a bird conservation site in Mellieha was reduced to a pile of rubble over the weekend.

The EU Life Yelkouan Shearwater Project at Rdum tal-Madonna, the largest conservation project on the island, was launched only three weeks ago by the Prime Minister.

The structure informs visitors about the internationally-protected site in Mellieha and how to look after the Yelkouan Shearwaters that breed there.

It was specially designed in discussion with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to blend in with the landscape by using local stone and an innovative, "low-rise" design.

Fortunately, the top of the sign was removed recently to finalise some repairs to the base. However, the base itself will have to be completely rebuilt, according to BirdLife Malta, the beneficiary of the project.

Project manager Helen Raine said that while it was in place, the sign was informing many tourists and visitors about the EU-supported conservation project and wildlife.

During the launch, the Prime Minister had spoken of the government's support for the project. Four of the project partners are government authorities.

"It is sad to see that the investment made by the partners is not appreciated by a small minority here who do their best to spoil the experience of the natural environment and wildlife for everyone else," Ms Raine said.

The project is particularly important because Malta holds an estimated 10 per cent of the world's population of Yelkouan Shearwaters. A third of these birds breed at Rdum tal-Madonna.

As Malta is so important for these birds, the EU has funded half the cost of the project through the Life Nature Fund. HSBC and Mepa have also contributed to the fund.

Part of the funding pays for materials such as the sign to inform the public about the conservation work going on.

Ms Raine said the project team's priority was now to get the sign back in place.

"We have received a huge amount of support for the project from the community and we will now be working to make sure the sign is replaced as soon as possible," Ms Raine said.

Contacted for comment, Environment Minister George Pullicino condemned all kinds of "physical and verbal" vandalism.

The Mellieha case is the latest in a string of vandal acts. Three weeks ago, a bus shelter, a farmhouse and a stretch of rubble wall close to the Neolithic temples in Hagar Qim and Mnajdra were daubed with pro-hunting slogans.

Days earlier, more than 15 bottles containing spent engine oil were thrown over the fence into the Nature Reserve at Ghadira.

Herman Grech

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=258452

In August 2006, following the presentation of a petition by 40,000 animal lovers calling on government to open an animal hospital, the Environment Minister Pullicino convened a press conference to announce that it will be fulfilling their wish. By November 2006, the Minister had to set up a Foundation to co-ordinate the building of an Animal Welfare Centre, at Ta’ Qali. Yet, over five months after this deadline, the foundation is nowhere in sight, animal rights activists told the Sunday newspaper ‘Kullhadd’.

Carl Cassar, the director of the response team, told ‘Kullhadd’ that it was useless to continue operating the ambulance service without a place where to treat the injured animals. “Imagine St Luke’s Hospital closes down, and the only remaining health service will be the ambulances”. Since there is no place where injured animals can be treated and helped to recover, it is useless to operate the ambulance service. Now the ambulance cannot even be used. Its insurance policy and road licence have expired and could not even be renewed. “Government offered to pay the insurance and provide two persons to operate the service. But the ambulance service is useless without an adequate hospital for animals” Cassar insisted.

Since this service stopped, it has become even more difficult to save abandoned animals who are found injured in the streets, especially during the night. Thus, they have to endure more sufferings, and are less likely to survive.  

Animal sanctuaries ignored

Animal rights activists are angry, because they feel that the promises made last August were made simply to silence the voices of the 40,000 persons who signed the petition. “It seems that the minister’s words were just false promises after all. If there was any real intention of doing anything, the project should have been started by now. Unless something happens soon, our suspicions will be confirmed” a volunteer helper in an animal sanctuary told maltastar.com.  

In Sunday 15 April’s issue of ‘Kullhadd’, journalist Owen Galea will also reveal details on how government has not even discussed the promised hospital with animal sanctuary organisations.   

Owen Galea

http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msfullart.asp?an=11358

StreetCat Rescue has condemned what it says was the killing of three cats at the Argotti Gardens, in Floriana, on Wednesday.

The rescue branch of the Animal Welfare Centre also expressed its disgust at the placing of about four cat-traps in the University section of the Argotti and expects "that whoever is responsible for breaking the law be brought to justice and sentenced harshly to serve as a deterrent to those cowards who seem to find perverse pleasure in torturing animals".

StreetCat Rescue is accepting volunteers from any locality in Malta to help it minimise cruelty to animals. Those interested can send details to e-mail streetcatrescue@yahoo.co.uk, via SMS to 9989 6304 or write to Hello! PO Box 78, Birkirkara.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=258095

European environmental lobby groups that spoke to The Times are certain the European Commission will soon issue a reasoned opinion over Malta's stand on spring hunting, and then follow it up with a court case.

The Commission has still to evaluate the government's technical and political arguments in response to infringement procedures started by Brussels last July over spring hunting.

A spokesman for Bird Protection Belgium, one of the most vociferous EU lobby groups campaigning against spring hunting in Malta, said that despite the arguments raised by the Maltese government recently, there is already "very clear EU jurisprudence over the issue".

"Malta's is identical to a Finnish case, particularly that dealing with the island of Aaland. The Finnish authorities had also tried to allow the continuation of spring hunting invoking the same arguments as Malta to justify the application of the derogation. At the end of the day, the European Court of Justice rejected those arguments and spring hunting in Aaland had to stop. The same will happen in Malta. There is no way out," the spokesman said.

The Maltese authorities are aware of the case, so much so that it was also included in the government's response to the Commission's infringement procedure.

Replying on behalf of the government, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo wrote that "the government is aware that the Commission considers itself constrained by the decision of the European Court of Justice (Commission vs Finland), the facts of which do not necessarily find a parallel in Malta's case".

On August 1, 2003, the Commission took Finland to court over failure to apply a derogation under article 9 of the Birds Directive in line with the provisions and criteria laid down in the same directive.

Finland was allowing the continuation of hunting in spring in relation to a number of bird species including eider, golden eye, red-breasted merganser, goosander, velvet scoter and tufted duck. That, it argued, was possible in terms of a derogation allowed under the Birds Directive, as there was no other option but to hunt such species in spring.

However, the Commission maintained that the form of hunting allowed during spring in Aaland did not meet the requirement that there "be no other satisfactory solution" or the one relating to "the taking of birds in small numbers".

The Commission insisted that, in the case of the bird species at issue, there were satisfactory solutions other than spring hunting, both in mainland Finland and on the island of Aaland. Basing its argument on a study by the Finnish authorities, the Commission declared that "all or nearly all the species that may be hunted in spring are generally present in autumn too in the territories where spring hunting is practised. Thus, spring hunting could not be justified by the fact that the same species are not present in autumn".

As to the provision dealing with small numbers, the Commission argued that, according to the Ornis committee, "small numbers" is to be understood as meaning under one per cent of the average annual mortality rate of the species in question. The Commission said such requirement was not being met by the Finnish authorities.

After evaluating the case, the ECJ had, on December 15, 2005, found in favour of the Commission and ordered Finland to change its legislation and ban spring hunting. The court also ordered Finland to pay the costs of the case.

In a recent interview in Tieqa fuq l-Ewropa, Allied Newspaper's EU television programme, Finnish MEP Satu Hassi said Malta will have to follow the case of Aaland.

"The Finnish government had used exactly the same arguments Malta is using now. The court was very clear and I am sure Malta will have to follow suit. Hunting will have to be done only in autumn. Malta is no exception," he said.

Ivan Camilleri

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=257896

The European Partnership of BirdLife International, embracing 42 national conservation organisations, has condemned the opening of the spring hunting season in Malta.

"Bird conservation organisations across Europe have united in protest against the Maltese government for allowing the practice to continue, despite ongoing legal and political action taken by the European Commission," it said in a statement to the international press.

BirdLife urged the Prime Minister to end spring hunting and "clamp down on poaching".

This is the fourth consecutive breach of the EU law since Malta joined the Union in 2004, the conservation groups said.

Speaking on behalf of BirdLife European Partnership, Konstantin Kreiser, EU policy manager at BirdLife International in Brussels, said: "Malta is a vital stepping stone for birds on their exhausting journey northwards, hence this is not an issue just for Malta - it affects all European nations.

"Conservationists, citizens, organisations and governments across Europe have invested significant amounts of time and resources in protecting wild birds in their own countries.

The fact that the Maltese government allows these birds to be killed during their journey to the breeding grounds is deeply shocking - particularly as this decision ignores the law and all scientific evidence and instead seems heavily influenced by upcoming elections.

"The Maltese hunters may not want to live up to their common responsibility as Europeans but the Maltese government should," he said.

The coalition said "endangered species" continue to be shot illegally on a regular basis.

"BirdLife Malta and the whole European network of BirdLife International will continue to press Malta to stop spring hunting and to clamp down on poaching, otherwise the country risks not only a heavy fine from the European Court of Justice but also further deterioration of its public reputation in the EU," Mr Kreiser added.

The Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry was contacted for its reaction but no replies were forthcoming by the time of writing.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=257890

Left: A dead marsh harrier, found by a birdwatcher, yesterday. His advanced state of decomposition suggests that this protected bird was shot before the hunting season started yesterday. Right: The first documented victim of this year's hunting season which started yesterday, a juvenile marsh harrier, found with gunshot wounds yesterday morning, in Gozo.

A juvenile marsh harrier, shot and injured in Gozo, became the first documented victim of the hunting season, which officially opened yesterday.

The hunter's federation (FKNK) cautioned its members on the eve of the season's opening to shoot exclusively at permitted "game" - quail and turtle doves.

In the morning a passer-by in Gozo came across a marsh harrier with fresh gunshot wounds to his wing. In the afternoon, BirdLife released a picture saying he was the bird who had been taken to the police station by the person who found him.

The organisation released another picture, also of a marsh harrier, it said was found by a birdwatcher in an advanced state of decomposition suggesting he was shot well before yesterday. It said the bird was carrying a ring showing he had come from Finland.

BirdLife Malta executive director Tolga Temuge said such reported incidents represent only the tip of the iceberg because "these criminals who shoot at protected species are likely to hide or destroy the evidence".

"Yet, the fact that we have received many reports of illegal hunting even before the opening of another illegal spring hunting season gives an idea of the illegal activity that is going on out there."

The police's Administrative Law Enforcement unit has fewer than 30 officers in Malta and Gozo to control more than 16,000 hunters and trappers, Mr Temuge pointed out.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=257889

Few matters have angered a swathe of the electorate more than the way the government has handled the hunting issue. It is not that those who are against hunting were unaware of the fact that a position paper had been drawn up in the negotiations with the EU Commission before the 2003 referendum. Of course they were, or at least, they should have been, as they had also been - or, again, should have been - aware of the political promises the Nationalists had made to the hunters both before the referendum and the subsequent general election. What mostly irked those who are against hunting - and their number is growing, not diminishing - was the way the Nationalists justified their move to allow spring hunting.

In the run-up to the latest round of local council elections, they constantly pointed out that once those who were against hunting knew all along that hunting had been part of the EU membership package, they could hardly say now they have been deceived. Well, no, they can not, for, yes, they knew - or should have known - that hunting had been made part of the package, at least as presented by the Nationalists. But surely the majority of those who voted for membership mostly looked at the wider dimension, at the country's best interest, not at whether or not hunting would be allowed in the spring.

With such an important matter as EU membership at stake, they could hardly have done otherwise. In fact, they really had no choice, since equating a vote for membership with whether or not to keep spring hunting would have been illogical.

Which is why so many people felt insulted when the Nationalists kept bringing up the argument that they had a mandate to do what they did. The Nationalists could hardly backtrack from the promises they had so unwisely made, but then, in keeping to what they had committed themselves to, they ought to have worded their "justification" for their move differently, and not make it sound as if the electorate had a choice.

The Nationalists badly misread the sentiments of the people who are against hunting. No one, least of all the European Commission, has said that Malta has no right to a derogation. What the Commission is saying is that this right does not mean implicit acceptance, and that the derogation has to be justified. In other words, this means that a position paper is no carte blanche.

One minister has said that the government had made it clear before the referendum that Malta intended applying for the derogation and that the Commission had taken note of this. But it has now transpired that in the Commission's view, the reasons given by Malta do not justify the derogation. Indeed, according to European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, the Commission has found that there were "sufficient alternatives" in autumn "and so we have not granted any derogation". So, contrary to what the government must be thinking right now, "taking note" is not exactly the same thing as approval of an application to derogate.

The Nationalists have only themselves to blame for the sticky situation they have found themselves in over hunting, which is not to say that, come the next general election, those who stayed away from the polling booths at the recent local elections would necessarily do the same. In all probability, the "wider dimension" will once again take precedence over other matters, however irritating the other matters may be.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=257841