The police's Administrative Law Enforcement Unit has booked a number of hunters for illegal hunting and they are expected to be charged in court in the coming days, a Police Corps' spokesman told this newsroom.

The Malta Independent sent questions to the police asking whether there had been any reported illegalities since the hunting season re-opened on 11 October, after the government cut it short due to widespread abuse over the past months. Over the past days, residents of Siggiewi, Gharghur, Naxxar and Zejtun, amongst other villages, have complained about rampant gunfire throughout the day. Incredibly, a Valletta resident also reported that he had heard people firing shots from roofs on Valletta.

Hunting laws state that hunters may open fire between two hours before sunrise and two hours after sunset between Monday and Saturday. On Sunday, hunting is 'restricted' to two hours before sunset and 1pm. But many people have said that hunters are starting their activities way before that, sometimes before 5am. The sun rises at 7.15am, meaning that hunting should only start at 5.15am. People have also said that they are hearing many gunshots being fired at one go, and the law only permits for three consecutive shots, one in each barrel and one in the breech. Anything above that is illegal. It is also illegal to fire weapons in a built up area.

A number of hunters have already been charged over an illegal protest held in the streets of Valletta last month which brought about a number of incidents after the hunting season. Before the autumn hunting season resumed, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that those caught breaching the law will pay a sore price if they were found out.

BLM speaks of Ghajn Tuffieha reports from the public

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for BirdLife Malta said that BLM was informed by members of the public that they witnessed a bird being shot down, quite a big bird, probably a protected species, in Ghajn Tuffieha. "We informed the police accordingly," the spokesperson said.