FKNK, St Hubert Hunters hit out at CABS

After the Committee Against Birds Slaughter (CABS) boasted on a local TV station of a remote-controlled craft equipped with a camera to monitor hunters and trappers earlier this week, it was a matter of days before Maltese hunters spotted the mini spy drone and shot it down in no time.

"The surveillance method used was nothing but a publicity stunt by the Committee Against Birds Slaughter," Saint Hubert Hunters president Mark Mifsud Bonnici told MaltaToday.

Lino Farrugia, secretary, Federation for Hunting and Conservation, also hit out at CABS, saying, "the federation intends to press charges against the German-based committee since this is nothing but an invasion of privacy".

Both the pro-hunting lobby groups' representatives were replying to questions posed by MaltaToday following the incident where  a surveillance craft controlled by a member of CABS to detect illegal hunting was shot down near Marsascala. The incident has stirred bitter controversy among pro- and anti-hunting lobby groups.

However, BirdLife's communications officer Rupert Masefield preferred to stir away from controversy by stating that the incident "is not something BL was involved in". 

Meanwhile, according to a police spokesman, the legality of the drone was still being investigated, however until the investigation is concluded the flying of the drone has been suspended by the police.

Sources close to this newspaper  said the police had arrested a CABS member over the incident. However, the police did not confirm this allegation "since a magisterial inquiry and investigations were still ongoing, and it was not prudent for the police force to comment any further".

When asked by MaltaToday whether he agreed with such methods of surveillance, Mifsud Bonnici said that "to begin with, we have no objection to any methods that could help deter or apprehend any wrongdoing provided these are legal. However, the drone in question was brought over to Malta as part of the operations of CABS.

Axel Hirschfeld, CABS's spokesman, was quoted in the media as saying that it is "difficult to access certain sites, especially where private property is concerned, and this is an ideal way of detecting illegalities. The Data Protection Act's regulations respecting individuals and private property are known to all.

"It is illegal to spy on any individual or to photograph or film without the individual's consent. It is also illegal to photograph or film private property in the hope of encountering an illegality. The only body allowed by law to do so is the police who would need a warrant in the event anyway.

"And CABS certainly are not the legal authority authorised to conduct such surveillance and are acting illegally in doing so."

Asked whether this was a publicity stunt by CABS and if the incident heightened tensions between the pro and anti- hunting lobby groups, Mifsud Bonnici said that "we do not consider CABS as 'observers' but rather as a group of activists having a very defined purpose. Namely, that of publicising illegalities in order to finance their existence.

"The tension you mention existed from the very first day they came to Malta. Knowing we do have black sheep within our midst, just like any other sector of society worldwide, and a police force able to handle the problem, we detest having a few incidents, mostly unverified, being publicised to serve as fodder for financial gain.

"The few incidents CABS manage to record, apart from the hundreds of other unverified incidents are what generate funds. The presence of a German TV crew only proves that publicity is all they are after."

Mifsud Bonnici added that "we have full trust in our police force,  which is doing an admirable job in deterring abuse and apprehending any law breakers.

"We certainly can do without persons who consider hunting as the slaughter of birds and who unscrupulously damage Malta's image for their own aims and financial gain.

"If indeed new technology is available it should be the Malta police who conduct similar methods and not a foreign organisation that has never failed to criticise Malta's police and its government."

FKNK's Farrugia said that a report is to be lodged with the Data Protection Commissioner for violation of Data Protection and urged the Commissioner to "take the necessary steps against the perpetrators". 

An e-mail forwarded to MaltaToday, from a pilot furious at the situation, stated:

"The unmanned aircraft was flying illegally and we pilots were not advised about it prior to it being flown.

"This is disgraceful, and very dangerous."