British charity launches video to help abolish Maltese spring hunting

League Against Cruel Sports and conservationist and wildlife expert, Bill Oddie OBE, have released a film to expose the reality of spring hunting on the island of Malta.

The animal welfare charity will be using the film to raise awareness of the situation in Malta, after having witnessed the spring hunting for themselves in April when they travelled to Malta with Bill Oddie, to support Birdlife Malta during the hunting season.

The LACS said Maltese hunters “shoot, maim and kill thousands of migratory birds” during the spring hunting season, including many protected species, such as buzzards, harriers and kestrels, travelling back from Africa to Europe for the spring.

“These birds are shot for sport, entertainment and fun,” the LACS said.

Oddie, the LACS vice-president, described the hunting situation in Malta as “pretty appalling”.

“Maltese gunmen call this annual massacre tradition and indeed it is. A cruel, wasteful, destructive tradition that may only abate when there are no more birds to kill. It must not get that far,” Oddie said.

The LACS said that a “legal loophole in Malta” – ostensibly the European Court of Justice’s judgement that allowed a limited hunting seaon – allows a number of turtle dove and quail to be legally shot during this time.

“However figures reveal the number and species of birds slaughtered during the season exceed and break the derogation restrictions. The UK alone is now experiencing a 95 per cent decline in the population of the turtle dove since 1970,” the LACS said.

The film follows Bill Oddie and the team of League investigators and campaigners as they accompany BirdLife Malta who monitor the hunters. At one point, while Bill is being filmed, a hunter is captured pointing his gun in the direction of the camera.

Joe Duckworth, chief executive of the LACS said: “Malta is a hotspot for tourists, with 450,000 people holidaying there every year. Many are ignorant to the plight of these birds and we hope that our film will help shine an international spotlight on the brutality and cruelty taking place.”

44,000 Maltese citizens have signed a petition calling for a referendum on whether the legalised spring hunting should continue.