Ramblers Association of Malta welcomes the early ending of the spring hunting season after yet another atrocious act of violence on nature.

Ramblers Association of Malta (RAM) sees this initiative as a very positive move on the part of the authorities and, far from being a hasty decision, could not have come too soon.

The atrocities of the past week were nothing more than wilful violence against trees and protected birds. This has finally prodded the authorities over the edge and they have taken decisive action to draw Malta back into the civilised world and end the practice of hunting in spring.

While encouraging all bona fide ramblers to enjoy the countryside with responsibility, RAM holds that it is inconceivable that government appears even at this point to envisage itself indulging in future fence-hopping on hunting.

Following the highly commendable move of the ban, RAM appeals to the authorities not to collapse under election pressures and backtrack on this decision. Rather than sliding away from European unity over protection of wild birds, the Maltese government should reassure the electorate that the ban on hunting in spring is a permanent one. Anything short of this will reveal what was initially thought to be a courageous action as merely a cosmetic one to benefit the political party in power.