The hunting lobby has engaged in a scaremongering campaign using imagined non-existent threats to all and every other hobby and pastime they can think of to frighten people into voting 'yes' in the coming referendum for fear we will stop them collecting stamps or making model planes. What can one say to that except they greatly underestimate the intelligence of the Maltese public.
However, since FKNK and Co. have attempted to divert attention from the real issue, let me refocus on it by informing that same public of a few facts, which in addition to the moral aspect of destroying our planet's already diminishing wildlife, are direct consequences to every one of us as a result of the prolific scale of hunting in Malta, bearing in mind the 55,962 shotguns 'legally' registered with the police in Malta (Times of Malta 'Arms Tally' Thursday 29 January 2015).
Having experienced 20 years of legal and illegal hunting, seven days a week for most of the year, I decided one morning, having been 'shot' awake again by the dawn/pre-dawn crack and volley of shotguns (and further sleep impossible) to lie there in bed and count the number of shots fired that intruded into my bedroom (and every room of my house).
It was a Monday morning and I decided to do this for a whole week, Monday to Monday, counting and recording the date, time the first shot woke me up, and how many shots were fired in exactly one hour. Some were quite difficult to count as many were fired by more than one hunter and frequent volleys often merged. In those cases I took into account only the definite individual shots I could distinguish. Below is the result:
Monday 27 October 2014 5.56am - 6.56am 294 shots
Tuesday 28 October 2014 6.07am - 7.07am 161 shots
Wednesday 29 October 2014 5.54am - 6.54am 159 shots
Thursday 30 October 2014 6.03am - 7.03am 144 shots
Friday 31 October 2014 6.05am - 7.05am 54 shots
Saturday 1 November 2014 6.04am - 7.04am 129 shots
Sunday 2 November 2014 6.04am - 7.04am 592 shots (several 4-5 shot repeats)
Monday 3 November 2014 5.58am - 6.58am 261 shots (several 4-5 shot repeats)
The above amounts to 1,794 shots fired in just eight hours in the Garnaw Valley and upper Addolorata area, most of which is cultivated land. With an average of 217 to 358 pellets (depending on size or mix) and an average weight of 35 grams of lead per cartridge, this is a considerable amount of lead, just in this one period and location alone. Lead is a deadly poison (http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.lead-poisoning.html) and countless thousands of these "poison pills" are being shot into our food and water chain, and hence into our and our children's (and our livestock 's) digestive system every year. This, not to mention the noise pollution, the air pollution from gunshot fumes and stress due to sleep deprivation from pre-dawn to after sunset (and often beyond).
People need to know, they have a right to know what they are being forced by lack of information to consume. The FKNK won't tell them, the hunters won't tell them, the government won't tell them. We must tell them, so that they can make an informed decision come the vote on 11 April.
The least we should be entitled to is an unbiased, independent (and I don't mean one commissioned by the government, the hunters or even by Birdlife or CABS but totally neutral) analysis of the soil and water table content especially the cultivated/grazing hunting hotspots in Malta.
USE YOUR VOTE! If not for yourself and your children (remember the lead poisoning our food and water) then for the hundreds of thousands of birds you will save from slaughter this year and in the future.
Clifford John Williams
Santa Lucija