Letters: 10 May 2015

Blasting migrating birds from the sky is not a sport  

It has been encouraging recently to see the law being enforced against bird hunters.

It is beyond comprehension how anyone with a heart and of sane mind considers the mass slaughter of defenceless wild birds as ‘fun’. It is what it is: Mass slaughter.

Adults with big guns, spraying the sky with lethal bullets aimed to kill migrating, not even Maltese, birds. What satisfaction do they gain from this? What right do they think they have to kill birds migrating to other countries?

People like myself who respect and admire birds for what they are, will never set foot on Malta until this barbaric practice is banned. Why would we spend our money on an island, which currently allows these cowardly hunters to blast birds out of the sky?

Imagine if the birds had guns and could defend themselves, how would these hunters then feel? 

If the hunters want to do something useful they could develop a bird-watching industry on the island. 

The value to the economy of Malta, not just the hunters, would be very substantial and definitely reach several million pounds a year before too long. It would also clean up Malta’s image, which now is of a country where once beautiful, defenceless birds can fall out of the sky and onto you at any moment. Who wants blood splattered all over them on holiday? 

Sean Whyte, London