Dear law-abiding huntersin Malta, it is time to stand up and be counted in such a crucial time. Stand up, be counted, be proud.

There is plenty of reason to be proud. We law-abiding hunters are also givers and not just takers. We, thousands of us Maltese hunters, owners or managers of large tracks of land throughout Malta, overshadow government and NGO's land conservation in Malta.

There has never been anything equal to this sportsmen funded system. Knowledgeable scientists recognize this as the foremost wildlife conservation development of our times. Be proud.

It is time that it be acknowledged that we are, like it or not, the local conservation engine. Do not accept any less credit any more. Be proud.

We the hunters contribute more revenue, spend more time in touch with nature, are more proven keepers of our natural habitats because we care. Be proud.

We pay for law enforcement, we pay for research. Do not take it any more, stand up, be proud.

We law-abiding hunters have been the pillar of rural conservation in Malta, doing more than anyone to conserve natural habitat.

Attack on law-abiding hunters is immoral. There is a moral right to hunt within sustainable limits. It is anti-social, offensive and immoral for anti-hunters to attack what is fundamentally valuable in terms to the significant minority who hunt. If we are deprived of it, we will lose more than just recreation. It is more than our heritage and culture, it is our very essence.

Kings, queens, Presidents and statesmen as well as common men have held hunting in the highest esteem since the beginning of time, it is time proven, time honored, be proud.

The bottom line is, we are positive contributors to society and unwittingly antis tend to be otherwise. But they will be gone and we will be proud.

Mario Vella

Naxxar.