Boycott Malta

[spanna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0SgNMBvVoQ

Even though Malta is part of the EU it has 11,500 hunters who break the european protection law every spring and illegally blow the brains out of anything that flies past.

A high percent of the birds that return here in summer have to pass through Malta when they leave their African wintering grounds.
Swallows, Warblers, Cuckoos, etc etc are all shot or trapped in their thousands in Malta and it's for no other reason than for the hunters perverted thrills. Most of the time the birds are left injured to die in immense pain wherever they fall.

If anyone is thinking of going to Malta for a holiday I hope you will consider somewhere more civilised and not give your hard earned money to murderers.

If anyone has the time please also sign this online petition which is to try and persuade the Maltese government to do something about the hunters instead of turning a blind eye.

http://www.birdlifemalta.org/petition/sign/

[Pat Ayres]

Somewhere more civilised? Where for example?

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Boycotts aren't the answer to sorting issues like this. They just generate resentment.

[spanna]

Somewhere more civilised? Where for example?

Italian islands, greek islands, croatia area?

 

I disagree ldv van. Hit them in the pocket like happened with Cyprus and soon the government starts to take it seriously. The Cyprus illegal hunting problem has been really well attacked recently now their police take it seriously.

[jimbms]

I think if I wanted a holiday in Malta then a trivial little thing like this would not cause me to cancel and lose whatever deposit I had payed. Get real plenty of people go to the USA every year and they have an even worse hunting record.

Edited to add that what a stupid suggestion suggesting Croatia after the record they have had with genocide or does that not count, oh and lets not forget Greece's record on human rights.

[spanna]

Please read my post properly Jim. I said "THINKING about a holiday in Malta". Not booked one.

The USA does not have an even worse hunting record. In the USA they do not illegally shoot and trap migrating birds in there thousands.

 

No it doesn't count, I cant even begin to understand your comparison there.

 

If you hate the world outside your living room fair enough Jim but I'm sure there are some civilised people on this forum that aren't self centered and do want to help others.

[GD4ELI]

In the USA they do not illegally shoot and trap migrating birds in there thousands.

In the USA they execute the mentally retarded.

[Albert Tatlock]

I feel so guilty, I've just had Corncrakes for breakfast again...but they're so delicious, even when you have to spit out the odd pellet.

[CJW]

Spanna, I admire your desire to highlight this very worthy cause. But I've got to ask, what sort of response did you expect from the dicks on Manx Forums? Yes, there are some sensible folk on here but they're in the minority and all you're going to end up with is the sort of semi-literate garbage posted so far by the usual suspects.

I've signed the petition, thanks for letting us know.

[Albert Tatlock]

Spanna, I admire your desire to highlight this very worthy cause. But I've got to ask, what sort of response did you expect from the dicks on Manx Forums?

Hmmm...you're on here I notice. Wouldn't you be better off on Twitter or Tweeter or whatever?

[jimbms]

.

The USA does not have an even worse hunting record. In the USA they do not illegally shoot and trap migrating birds in there thousands.

No it doesn't count, I cant even begin to understand your comparison there.

Of course it doesn't count because it is not illegal in the USA, mind you if you read carefully the bird shoot in Malta is also not illegal to the Maltese. But let us look at what the ever so nice USA does for animals in one year:

 

12.5 million people 16 years old and older enjoy hunting a variety of animals within the United States. They hunt 220 million days and take 185 million trips. Hunting expenditures total $22.9 billion (big money no wonder they don't ban it).

 

An estimated 10.7 million hunters pursue big game, such as deer and elk, on 164 million days. Many are left to wander for days wounded and in pain.

 

There are 4.8 million hunters of small game including squirrels and rabbits.

 

They hunt small game on 52 million days and spend $2.4 billion on small game hunting trips and equipment.

 

2.3 million hunted migratory birds such as doves or waterfowl(makes the Malta bird shoot look trivial doesn't it?).

 

1.1 million hunt other animals such as woodchucks and raccoons for sport only and often just manage to wound them as the go underground for cover.

 

Fox hunting is still legal in many US states where it most often called a fox chase, pack dogs are still allowed to attack the cornered fox and kill it.

 

Now please tell me on the basis of that why you do not ask for a boycott of the USA, also please tell me how boycotting Malta as a holiday resort and hitting the people working there in the tourist industry, many who are poor and have no part in this cull, is going to help this situation bar making many there go below the poverty level.

 

BTW I do not hate the world outside my living room, I quite like it, but I do object to people trying to ruin the economy of a small impoverished country because they do not like the actions of a minority there, yet they won't condone or take action against the bigger nations that do worse like the USA and it's hunting or China and its human rights.

[CJW]

Of course it doesn't count because it is not illegal in the USA, mind you if you read carefully the bird shoot in Malta is also not illegal to the Maltese. But let us look at what the ever so nice USA does for animals in one year:

 

12.5 million people 16 years old and older enjoy hunting a variety of animals within the United States. They hunt 220 million days and take 185 million trips. Hunting expenditures total $22.9 billion (big money no wonder they don't ban it).

 

An estimated 10.7 million hunters pursue big game, such as deer and elk, on 164 million days. Many are left to wander for days wounded and in pain.

 

There are 4.8 million hunters of small game including squirrels and rabbits.

 

They hunt small game on 52 million days and spend $2.4 billion on small game hunting trips and equipment.

 

2.3 million hunted migratory birds such as doves or waterfowl(makes the Malta bird shoot look trivial doesn't it?).

 

 

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but you're displaying a staggering lack of understanding of the relationship between game hunting and conservation.

[jimbms]

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but you're displaying a staggering lack of understanding of the relationship between game hunting and conservation.

Oh I do understand the relationship but at the end of the day it is still killing an animal for sport in a lot of cases and also on numerous occasions wounding an animal and leaving it, for me you should only hunt an animal if you are prepared to eat it, how can culling an animal be conservation? if that was the case then animals should be able to cull humans as they are populating behond control and messing up the planet for animals.

[spanna]

The Usa have several big organisations fighting illegal hunting and a law enforcement that take it seriously. Malta has birdlife malta which consists of about 5 blokes and one of them has been shot twice by the hunters and a police force that turn a blind eye.

Now you tell me who needs the more urgent help.

Theres no ruining of economies wanted either obviously. But by putting pressure on their government it makes them put things in perspective. It worked with Cyprus and now they take their illegal hunting problem seriously. I dont see Cyprus bankrupt do you?

 

Thanks for signing the petition CJW.

[CJW]

Oh I do understand the relationship

 

Your posts so far don't seem to illustrate that understanding very well.

 

how can culling an animal be conservation?

 

and, if proof was ever needed, here we have it. That question contradicts your first statement (that you understand the relationship).