The killing of a number of storks around Malta and Gozo is certainly a cause for concern.

BirLife Malta recently said that only one stork is still being seen flying around Malta, and the organization suspects that all the others were killed.

Thus far, two incidents of illegal hunting, resulting in the killing of six of these 18 birds were and are being dealt with by the police.

On 13 August, the courts denied bail for the man accused of shooting down four white storks. On 15 August, two more storks were killed, this time at Maghtab, and Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri said on Facebook that a man had been arrested in connection with this latest incident.

However BirdLife Malta does not seem to believe that enforcement is being taken seriously, and as the main NGO on the islands when it comes to the protection of birds, its warnings should be taken seriously.

One of its representatives had told this newsroom that when the first stork was shot down, it took police officers 70 minutes to arrive on site. This is unacceptable. Police officers should not take that long to answer to any call regarding illegalities.

The NGO also makes a second point, that without proper enforcement, then deterrents, like the steep fines, will not work.

The authorities need to take illegal hunting more seriously, especially given that such incidents could result in a harsher response at EU level should the situation get bad enough.

One must remember that these birds do not belong to the Maltese, they are just passing through. Shooting birds which are not meant to be hunted affects citizens in other countries as well, who might very well take the protection of such birds more seriously than the local authorities do.

Such incidents also do nothing in terms of helping the image of hunters, who should report any incidents of illegal hunting by other hunters to the police immediately, otherwise their reputation, and the reputation of Maltese hunters abroad, will continue to deteriorate.

Each year we hear news stories of illegal hunting, and some are caught and taken to court, yet the fact that some still choose to willingly break the law shows that not enough is being done.

Illegalities persist also because hunters know well enough by now that there is no political will to clamp down on their controversial hobby - because the hunting lobby commands tens of thousands of votes.

What we need in this country is a government with a pair of proverbials that puts the environment and our wellbeing above votes and elections. A government that does not shy away from really stepping up penalties for illegalities and invests in much needed enforcement.