Children exposed to hunting become desensitised to animal cruelty, commissioner says

Commissioner for Animal Welfare Alison Bezzina has weighed in on the debate surrounding hunters being accompanied by minors, stating it desensitizes them to animal cruelty.

“Even if they are not allowed to handle a weapon, desensitization happens when children are taught that shooting a bird and causing it to fall to the ground in agony is cause to celebrate,” she said.

Bezzina’s reaction comes after Commissioner for Children Pauline Miceli called on authorities to address inconsistencies in the Arms Act to ban minors from accompanying adults during hunting.

On Monday, BirdLife Malta released footage of a child handling a gun while out hunting with an adult, denouncing it as a “criminal act.”

BirdLife did not name the man in the footage, but said he is a close relative of a high-ranking Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) official, who last year was also filmed by a BirdLife Malta team from Miżieb, with a child handling and firing a shotgun in a case that is still awaiting trial.

“There is no doubt that when children are exposed to hunting, they are desensitized to animal cruelty and to the fact that birds are sentient beings,” Bezzina said.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Bezzina said she would be supporting any proposals by the Children’s Commissioner to make it illegal for minors to accompany hunters.