Whatever the message that the person or persons responsible for destroying trees at the Foresta 2000 site in Mellieha wanted to convey has been lost and can only be interpreted as selfish, childish, barbaric and despicable behaviour.
The attack, which probably took place on the night between Sunday and Monday saw about 104 trees being sawn off at the base or uprooted. There is absolutely nothing anyone can say apart from shame on whoever did it.
It is very difficult to ever establish who the perpetrators are, but there are suspicions – just like there were the last time that tree saplings were damaged and the last time that the temples were vandalised.
Whoever committed this act must realise one thing – they are not getting back at Birdlife (which manages the site) – they are incurring the wrath of much of the population. Anyone with a modicum of decency takes any enjoyment in seeing anything alive being killed in an act of wanton hatred. It is just beyond comprehension.
Whoever committed the act has also indirectly (or directly) inspired more hatred towards those who are suspected of having done it – and one would have to say that most fingers are being pointed at individuals who practise hunting. Let us be clear – we are in no way implicating the hunters’ groups and we acknowledge that this act was committed by one – or a couple – of renegade individuals.
But as we have mentioned, the actions of these people have not done anyone any favours. Public opinion of hunters will continue to deteriorate as a result – and those who have showed restraint and stuck to the stipulated rules and regulations this season will be tarred with the same brush – even those who have not even gone out to hunt.
It is useless to point out the futility of the attack, and it is also futile to point out the benefits that those trees would have given us in the long-run, simply because if anyone is hateful, or ignorant enough to carry out the attack can hardly be shown different.
The positives to be taken out of the incident are that the government, the opposition, many other organisations and the Mellieha local council have come out in condemnation of the act.
The mayor has already pledged to plant double the amount of saplings which were destroyed and this is a very positive sign – for which he is to be commended.
Vandalism is a scourge in Malta. It is cowardly acts such as these which people resort to in order to ‘get their own back’.
We have seen various scandalous vandal acts over the past years, paint slapped onto historic buildings, oil splattered onto Portes des Bombes, dislodging of stones at the megalithic temples and, of course, the tree sapling attacks on more than one occasion.
Such attacks cannot realistically be prevented, and one cannot just plant a CCTV camera and hope for the best – it just can’t work like that.
There is not much that can be done except stand firm, replant the trees, and not allow the actions of one (or a few) individuals to destroy something which has been created on a patch of barren land for our future benefit and enjoyment. One small message to the perpetrator(s) – many of those tree saplings were sponsored by young children at schools. We would just like you to imagine their faces when they see a tree they have nurtured for a good couple of years killed in one fell swoop.