It is perhaps only in Malta that the arrival of a unique and beautiful flamingo is something to be celebrated and dreaded in almost equal measure; celebrated because such a bird is a wonderful spectacle that everyone should be able to enjoy, but dreaded because of the selfish killers who would take its life.

It is perhaps also only in Malta that the people trying to protect such a bird would be accused of being “partly to blame for its death”. (Stephen Calleja, TMIS, 9 June). This is an extraordinary accusation. Would this writer claim that a person that administers first aid to a road crash victim who later dies is partly to blame for his/her death? Would he look for a way to blame a fireman who rescues someone from a burning building for the damage caused to their lungs through breathing in smoke? Of course not.

The truth is that the news of the arrival of a flamingo at Salina was out there in the underworld of illegal bird hunters long before BirdLife Malta made it more widely known. In fact, had it not been for the announcement of the arrival of the bird, the local residents of Salina, who watched over it and alerted the police when it was shot, may not have been aware it was there. Without these witnesses, this latest wildlife crime would have gone unreported.

It is in fact a great tribute to the local residents that they stayed alert, watching over the flamingo. It is an even greater testament to how much progress has been made that these same residents reported the illegal shooting of this beautiful protected species of bird to the police without any hesitation. It seems that many Maltese are no longer prepared to witness illegal acts against nature and remain silent; they are now prepared to act. So too were the police. Their swift action ensured that vital evidence that may eventually convict the culprits was found.

Some are saying we have reached a turning point in Malta with more and more individuals and organisations being prepared to make it clear their disgust at the illegal hunting of rare and beautiful birds. It is due to illegal hunting that many other spectacular birds can no longer nest here in safety, including both the iconic Maltese Falcon (a subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon) and the ghostly looking barn owl. Any of these birds that do try to nest here (there have been reports of pairs of Peregrines nesting in remoter areas in recent years) sadly face a similar fate to the flamingo and are usually killed by illegal hunters. Just last week, BirdLife Malta found a dead Peregrine on Filfla. An X-ray examination of its corpse showed that it had been shot.

Many also wish to see an end to spring hunting, a practice that is completely unjustifiable except in the minds of those for whom the conservation of wild bird populations and adherence to European conservation rules is evidently of no concern (whatever the final letter of the acronym by which they are known might purport to stand for). Without spring hunting there is every possibility that Turtle Doves themselves would establish a breeding population in the Maltese Islands – already a few pairs manage it each year, despite the almost manic persecution they face.

The arrival and death of the flamingo coincided with news that a senior member of the FKNK had been paid consultancy fees by the previous government. The fees were for a significant amount of money and the FKNK has revealed it was for “research and the writing of reports approved by the federation and then given to the Government, the Opposition, the European Commission and other entities”. Presumably these are the reports that the FKNK produce after every spring hunting season to justify the continued shooting in spring of the declining Turtle Dove and Common Quail. This is work that the FKNK would do anyway. Does it really require a consultancy fee or other payment from the government?

To its credit, the FKNK joined the ranks of the many organisations that condemned the illegal killing of the flamingo at Salina. Indeed, the FKNK makes a habit of condemning such high profile illegal bird hunting. But actions speak louder than words and it would be a sign of real progress if the FKNK donated its consultancy fees to work to protect birds from illegal hunting.

I have just the project FKNK could support. BirdLife Malta is looking into supporting the residents of Salina by setting up a community bird watch group, like a Neighbourhood Watch, but for bird crime. The group would watch over the Salina salt pans in an organised way with the best equipment we can provide. That way any illegal bird hunters wanting to add a flamingo to the list of birds they have shot would know they would be seen, caught and convicted for their crimes. Such concrete action to help protect birds might go some way to justifying the Konservazjoni in their name.

Steve Micklewright is the Executive Director of BirdLife Malta