‘Spring hunting referendum is revolutionary’

The League against Cruel Sports (LACS) were in town this week as part of a campaign to help in the promotion of the ban on spring hunting in Malta. The British NGO, renowned for its staunch opposition to the killing of animals, visited the island to gain a better understanding the hunting situation in Malta.

It’s been one of the most talked-about issues in Malta over the past few months and, for once, it has not been smothered in partisan politics. But that’s not to say it’s any less controversial.

A petition calling for an abrogative referendum to ban spring hunting has amassed more than 44,000 signatures, a figure significantly higher than the 10% of Maltese voter-population needed.  The Coalition Against Spring Hunting (CASH), initiator of the petition, comprising of environmentalists such as BirdLife Malta and the green party Alternattiva Demokratika, believe that a March 2015 referendum is very much a possibility, despite the scaremongering tactics adopted by the hunting lobby.

MaltaToday met up with the League’s CEO Joe Duckworth and Bill Oddie, a wildlife expert and television personality accompanying the team, hours before their flight back to the UK.

Oddie pulls no punches when belittling the argument that hunting should be allowed on the basis of tradition. “It’s nonsense. With the same reasoning, we can apply that to so many things. We might as well bring back witch-hunting, hanging and God knows what else… it is simply not an argument."

He explains that there are good traditions, worth maintaining, and others which should be re-visited. “I’m afraid that this is one of the bad ones,” he says.  “At some stage in history, one has to judge what is no longer appropriate or wise and change it.”

Lamenting its effects on habitat destruction, the pair describe hunting as an “incredibly cruel” activity. “The vast majority of hunters shoot birds simply for target practice,” Duckworth says.

But why the particular interest in Malta?

“We wanted to understand what was going on in Malta at first-hand,” Oddie says. He admits to having had, in the past, “a sort of self-righteous, individual boycott” from visiting the country after hearing of the widespread hunting in the country. “I’ve discovered more and more over the years, though, that sometimes you really need to go and see for yourself exactly what the situation is.  It’s important to understand what the conflicting attitudes and existent pressures are,” he says.

“Malta is on the cusp of making a really important decision,” Duckworth chips in. “And it could be leading the way for so many other countries that need to adjust to this issue.” He says that if Malta held a referendum on such a “totemic and significant wildlife issue”, it would be a first around the world. “Malta is showing huge leadership to every country which slaughters animals in one way or another. It’s about giving the silent majority the opportunity to express its opinion, as opposed to only listening to those who shout the loudest. It is revolutionary and serves as a fantastic example for the rest of the world.”

Praising the fact that a referendum will ensure that the matter went “beyond party politics,” he expresses his belief that the referendum will indeed be successful. “It’s a really important moment of truth and I am absolutely confident that the referendum will pass and spring hunting will be abolished. The majority of Maltese seem to be against it.”

So how would they describe the situation in Malta, now that they’ve had a chance to see it first-hand?

“I suppose it’s what I expected and feared,” Oddie says. “It was equally reassuring, though, to learn that hunting is not accepted by all, which is what the hunters here would have you believe.”

Duckworth explains how he was shocked at the widespread use of firearms in Malta, with the trip proving to be one of “polar opposite extremes” for him. While describing Malta as “welcoming, warm and beautiful… with fantastic and helpful people,” Duckworth says that he was astounded at the number of hunters they came across during the trip.

“There are shooting towers everywhere,” he says. “We’d make out many figures with guns sticking out, dotted across the countryside.”

The proximity between the hunters and people’s homes “particularly intimidating”, according to Duckworth. “Since we’ve been here, I’ve spoken to people who say that they don’t even go jogging or mountain-biking at this time of year because of the hunters.”

It is pointed out to them that the situation in the United Kingdom is far from ideal, with fox and badger-hunting still practised in the country. They agree that the issue crosses national boundaries.

“We are quite sensitive to the accusation that we are some type of imperialist bully,” Duckworth tells me. “We’re not here to tell the Maltese what to do or to preach holier than thou. Neither are we here to say that we’re better than you. We’re here to learn, support and share our experiences,” he explains.
“Birds, for instance, travel internationally across many countries,” he adds. “So from an ethical point of view, the situation in Malta is the same as the one in Britain.”

Oddie seconds this notion and says that certain types of ethics are universal. “Frankly, I’d like to see Britain hold a referendum on various issues such as this.”

Would a successful result in the referendum, therefore, prompt the two to push for a similar movement in Britain?

“Well, if spring hunting had to be banned in Malta, by way of a referendum, I will absolutely use it as a precedent to urge British MPs to follow the same path,” Oddie says, stressing that it would be ‘tragic’ if the result of the referendum had to be a negative one.

Duckworth agrees but was less hopeful on the situation in Britain. He says that if Malta was successful in banning spring hunting, he “will surely take up the same argument back home,” he goes on to say that, “Britain is probably around ten years behind Malta, in this respect.”

In an eventuality, however, whereby a referendum to ban spring hunting in Malta is defeated, would the two be discouraging their counterparts to come to Malta?

“We will certainly not push for a tourist boycott to Malta,” Duckworth tells me. “We want to support Malta and we certainly want more British people to visit the island. The fact is, though, that most people are uncomfortable around firearms.”

Oddie nods his head at this last statement. “A very large percentage of people who visit Mediterranean islands, do so to see the birds. Wildlife tourism is massive all over the world and it’s one of the biggest growing tourist elements. The truth is, if people come to Malta, they certainly won’t want to go out into the countryside and stumble across people with guns!"