Flipping the bird

I always have something to say don't I? Well yes I do because I have a functioning brain, ears and eyes amongst other things.

I feel really angry at both political party leaders for turning a democratic principle into a political one. Yes I'm referring to the upcoming Spring Hunting Referendum.

Referendum as per Wikipedia's definition: "Referendum is the gerund of the Latin verb refero, and has the meaning "bringing back" (i.e. bringing the question back to the people)" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum


"bringing the question back to the people". Do these politicians even know what this means? Why are we interested in the way they vote? Aren't the Maltese capable of thinking for themselves? And why of all times has the opposition leader agreed with the Prime minister on this? This of all issues? Why didn't they agree on civil unions which is a law making people happy, why agree that the destruction of our wildlife and the little countryside we have is ok? For consistency? Come on!!!! Think of the message you are conveying.

We kill birds and it's ok. Please

Hunting in Malta is not sustainable, not only because we have hunters who disregard the law and do as they please hunting all seasons, hunting protected birds, destroying tree nurseries, painting on temple walls and shooting over our heads to shower us and the land with poisonous pellets amongst other despicable things. But also because we have too many hunters in Malta to maintain sustainable responsible hunting. 

From Birdlife Malta:  "Malta also has an exceptionally high density of hunters and per square kilometre has the densest population of hunters in the European Union.  According to the latest official figures Malta had 11,929 registered hunters and 4,616 licensed trappers.  This gives a density of around 47 hunters and trappers per square kilometre."

http://www.birdlifemalta.org/Content/hunting/illegalhunting/996/#.VL5QAivF_To

47 hunters per square kilometer not mile people, per kilometer. Tell me, how can any single bird who has flown hundreds of kilometers over Africa and Europe, tired and wanting to mate find any sort of safety with such a high density of REGISTERED  hunters?

Meanwhile hundreds of protected birds are shot down yearly, most of which we don't get to know about because it's up to the people who truly love these birds to roam the countryside and report illegal hunting and hunters get away with their prize when they bother to pick up their victims. No police or any other form of control is available as suggested, just local and foreign volunteers who often get threatened with guns.

But let's imagine we did create some form of hunter wardens, can Malta afford it? I very much doubt it and I doubt tax payers would be happy to fund that.

We need to realise that this isn't about the people hating hunters, but its about the preservation of the birds. Birds come here to procreate and we shoot them down. How terrible!

What we also need to realise is that us, the "other" people have the right to enjoy these birds too. I love walking in the countryside, it replenishes my soul and cleanses my mind. Should I not have the possibility to roam the paths with my son without being shot at? Can I not take him with me so that he may become as fascinated as I am by these beautiful creatures? And whilst we're at it "you" the people who are in favor of spring hunting need to realise that you are indeed missing out.

If I were the education minister, seeing that politics has stuck it's nose in, I would make a statement that this is highly educational and beneficial for ourselves and our children. Surely the aim of all the good work the ministry is doing includes educating the people about the value of being out and appreciating nature. 

Science has confirmed that being in nature is beneficial for us on many levels. From Medical Daily: "A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Essex and published by the mental health organization Mind found that taking a walk in nature reduced depression scores in 71 percent of participants. Researchers compared the effect with a control group who also took a walk, but in a shopping centre. Only 45 percent of the shopping center walkers had reduced depression scores, while 22 percent of them actually felt more depressed."
http://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-ecotherapy-being-nature-fights-depression-improves-mental-health-and-well-being-261075

Do we get this? Walking in nature might not immediately up the economy by people spending their hard earned money stuffing their feelings at shopping malls but it will put them in a better frame of mind so that they might spend wisely. Do we not want a healthier people?

And where is the minister of environment in all this? Why has he not uttered a word? Shadow minister? Nothing.

It seems to me that our hierarchy is missing the point in order not to rock the political boat. 

What we should be doing is showing people the joy of bird watching, if hunters "love" the birds they need to realise that they are much more beautiful flying free than gathering dust in a showcase and if we insist on putting political weight on this it should be done by taking everything into consideration including the impact pallets have on our land, the people who want to roam free on our countryside and the birds. 

Once the birds replenish they will fly over us by the 100's we will have flamingos, storks, ibises, ducks, geese, swans, hawks, kites, eagles, pheasants and many more. Can you even imagine what our skies would be like? How amazing it would be to sit with friends and family to watch them fly. Shit I hear you say? So what! As far as I'm concerned a bird pooping on me is good luck!   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Malta

Finally, has anyone ever seen this bird? 

I haven't. It's a Blue Rock Thrush. Believe or not it's Malta's national bird.

"In Malta the Blue Rock Thrush is still a fairly common breeding resident, but the overall human interference has pushed the species mainly to the sea-cliff habitats. In the early years of the last century its population in Malta was already showing a very marked decrease. Although protected by law, the young are still frequently taken illegally from any accessible nests to raise in captivity, which is the main reason for this dramatic decrease."
http://www.naturetrustmalta.org/environmental-education/biodiversity/fauna/priority-endangered-species/


It's not just hunting which pushed these birds out but human habitat too. There's not much we can do about habitat but we can reduce the harm created by sport.


Vote NO for spring hunting for a better future. 


Let them make love.