The Case for Sprint Hunting.

Hunting has been a political issue for decades throughout the world. The debate for and against hunting spawned numerous protests, political campaigns, lobbying and hidden agendas. Our tiny archipelago has not been spared from the hunting fervour. Void of any large game, the main hunting issue in this country concerns mainly the hunting of migrating birds.

We live in a western world, which is viewed by some as the pinnacle of democracy, where the majority rules and the rights of minorities are protected and sheltered. We live in an environment that promotes tolerance and appreciation of another party’s views. Hunting is indeed an age old activity of human kind. Being at the top of the food chain, we erect walking and talking monkeys hunted for millennia and still do. Had our ancestral hunter gatherers not risen to the challenge, we would still be living in the trees. It is therefore seen by some that it is their birthright to freely hunt other species.

We also live in a dying world. Cursed by unnatural natural-disasters, degradation of the ecosystem and an ever increasing large list of endangered species. Some soothsayers see the end of the world; other opinions view the humankind as a virus plaguing our beloved Mother Gaia.

Tolerance is indeed the key for happiness whenever there is a disparity of opinions. Many may not fathom the animalistic needs of bird hunters, but they too have their rights. The middle way is the way of the sage, and with a dying eco-system, we have to find a middle way too. Many a bird hunter admit that bird hunting has become meaningless – “ma tarax rixa” the say – as fewer and fewer birds seem to be soaring above our skies.

The natural question arises, as to whether we are out hunting and out fishing species, increasing more Dodos, Tasmanian Tigers and Quaggas to the list of extinct fauna. Hunters and fishermen claim it is not their fault while bird lovers and environmentalists disagree. The fact remains that less and less birds are reaching our islands. If the Hunters truly loved their ‘hobby’ they would themselves put restrictions on bird shooting. They would themselves close the season for a few years or put restrictions, until the bird numbers increase. Same restrictions are ‘in vigore’ for fishing Tuna and Whaling. Another option would be to set up ‘Pheasant Hunting Facilities’, where Pheasants are farmed only to be shot for sport.

Earlier I mentioned the tolerance prevailing in the Western World. Unable to understand the fad/obsessive sport of bird-hunting, nor being a fanatic bird lover, I took the path of tolerance. I had to tolerate lead falling on my head when I went for walks in our ever decreasing countryside. I had also to tolerate aggressiveness and foul language whenever I accidentally walked into some ‘RTO’ marked area. I was scared to death some years ago while driving to work through the Mgarr Road, when two pickup trucks coming from opposite sides of the road braked suddenly screeching their tyres to a halt, and out of the vehicles two men armed with shotguns came out. I thought that I had ended up in the middle of some feud; to my amazement these two persons aimed their weapons to one area of the sky and fired a few rounds. I could only fantasise that a dragon had just come out of some mountain and whoever of the two heroes managed to bathe in it’s blood would become the next Achilles.

The Hunting subject has been for decades at the top the local political agenda. We have on one side Hunting fanatics, and on the other side a bunch of self appointed bird experts. In the middle we have an impotent parliament. The GhKNK tried all sorts of scare tactics, while the bird lovers just chose the role of victims. Both sides took the role of environmental protectors; while neither side seems interested in the opinion of the public in general, save for brain washing propaganda. They should have sought a referendum in order to settle this dispute once and for all. The result of the referendum would have coerced the government to adhere to the wishes of the majority, and take away all illogical fears.

Being blessed with “photo finish” electoral results we see that our two major parties are afraid to take a stand because a minority holds them at ransom. Now we are cowardly hiding behind our Big Brother and like Pontius Pilate washing our hands and passing our duty and responsibility to take action over to the EU.

However, even a patient and tolerant person like myself has a limit. The final speech before the previous election of the GhKNK’s president in Gozo was purely and simply an instigation for civil unrest. Enough is enough. It is not a matter of bird loving or any other green/environmental agenda any more, it is a National Security Issue, and appropriate actions should be taken immediately, starting with the revocation all shotgun licences. Whoever would like to practice sport shooting should do it in a legal shooting range, otherwise he’s a criminal.