The Federation for Hunting and Conservation - Malta (FKNK) strongly condemns BirdLife Malta's latest campaign to eradicate Maltese and Gozitan trappers, '#CitizensAGAINSTtrapping', and describes it as misleading, provocative and an attempt to undermine Maltese socio-cultural traditions and laws. The campaign calling on citizens to take action against finch trappers is not only an attack on the practice itself, but also a deliberate challenge to the Maltese Government and FKNK's support for the 'Finch Research Programme'.
The Maltese government would probably have expected more gratitude for the hundreds of thousands of euros of Maltese taxpayers' money it gives to BirdLife every year, while the FKNK, whose members pay hundreds of thousands of euros in taxes every year for hunting and trapping licences and related miscellaneous expenses and purchases, expects no better from the abolitionists of local socio-cultural traditions.
It should also be noted that the campaign is aimed at Maltese citizens and not necessarily Maltese nationals, as BirdLife is recruiting and possibly funding foreign supporters who are unfamiliar with and insensitive to the cultural heritage of hunting and trapping in Malta. Furthermore, the FKNK openly challenges BirdLife Malta to provide evidence to support its claim that over 51,400 finches were trapped last year, a speculative figure rather than a fact. In addition, the FKNK questions the accuracy of the locations of trapping sites on BirdLife's map, claiming that many of the coordinates provided are inaccurately plotted.
One of the key issues of concern is the legality and safety of BirdLife's call for citizen intervention. BirdLife is encouraging citizens to report any sightings of live decoy finches at trap sites without a proper closed, seamless ring. However, the FKNK maintains that verifying the presence of a ring on a live bird requires close, in-hand inspection, which only the police and authorised officials are permitted to do. No BirdLife, CABS, MRU activist or ordinary citizen is so authorised. Law-abiding citizens should therefore be warned that acting otherwise could lead to illegal trespassing, misrepresentation of rights or even harassment of legitimate trappers.
In response to BirdLife's campaign, the FKNK urges trappers to report any unauthorised inspection or interference to the police on 119 in Malta and 21562040 in Gozo. Such reports can also be made to the FKNK at 99474503.
Finally, the FKNK wishes to emphasise its opposition to what it considers to be an invasive, sensationalist and misrepresentative campaign by BirdLife Malta, which it believes could place law-abiding citizens in legal jeopardy under the guise of environmental activism.
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