BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana says it is "simply untrue" that the Prime Minister cannot close the hunting season without advice from the Ornis Committee, adding that he does not believe the PM is being given the right advice over the whole affair.
Hunting has begun to make headlines again, with at least 17 known cases of protected birds shot.
The most notable case was the one where two greater flamingos were shot, but since then there have been several new cases of illegal hunting. The autumn hunting season started on 1 September.
PM Muscat last week passed the buck when asked if he would be closing down the hunting season, insisting that he cannot take that decision unilaterally.
Sultana met with The Malta Independent and discussed how the Committee, made up of hunting lobby FKNK, BirdLife Malta, three members of government, a member of the Environmental and Resources Authority and the chairman, did not meet before the start of the hunting season as they did in previous years. They would meet to share information on hot-spots, share each other's concerns, speak with enforcement agents and update each other on any relevant information.
He confirmed that another hunting referendum would be a last resort measure as the NGO's resources are better spent trying to work with government where possible, managing reserves and helping injured birds.
Full interview will be published shortly
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2xNSdMt
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