FOTOGRAFISKA DAGBOKSFRAGMENT

Brev från Malta

Vårregn. Fabriksgatan, Åbo 10 mars 2014. Foto: Håkan Eklund.

Samtidigt som de första vårfåglarna anländer till hemmamarkerna startar den årliga jakten på våra flyttfåglar ute i öriket Malta. Jag har under tre olika veckor, både under vår- höstflyttning, bevittnat detta sorgliga skådespel - som är en skam för hela EU. På Malta fungerar illegal jakt på värsta gangstermanér, och politikerna vågar inte ingripa trots att en stor del av folket är trötta på allt skjutande.

Fick idag detta mejlbrev från Steve Micklewright vid BirdLife Malta, som berättar om situationen så här:

"Spring is getting closer every day, which means that another hunting season will soon open, and that a new Springwatch camp will start as well. Before Springwatch 2014 starts we have some exciting news to share with you.

As you know, the Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting has been collecting signatures to call for a referendum to abolish spring hunting on the Maltese islands. We have now collected over 45,000 signatures, 11,000 more than are required by law to approve the petition. The next stage in the process is to submit the petition to the Electoral Commission. Meanwhile, we are about to launch a campaign to ensure the European Commission enforces the Birds Directive properly so that the Maltese government can no longer break the rules and allow spring hunting every year. If everything goes to plan, we could be about to see last ever spring hunting season on Malta.

As this should be the final spring hunting season, we are likely to see more law breaking by hunters with them shooting as many birds as they can. This will make our international Spring Watch Camp even more important this year, as we need to increase our monitoring efforts in the countryside during the migration to make sure we both deter and report illegal activities by hunters. We also need to demonstrate to the Maltese people, politicians and the European Union that the situation is out of control and that spring hunting needs to be stopped on Malta once and for all.

When hunters have felt that their privileges were somehow being threatened in the past, they have reacted aggressively towards our volunteers and staff. We are expecting to face increasing aggression, especially now that the Police Commissioner has withdrawn the only officer who previously worked with us during the camps.

This is where you come in. We are contacting our friends who have supported our camps and campaign against illegal hunting on Malta to seek some urgent financial help. We need to replace some of our old video cameras, continue to hire security officers to ensure the safety of our volunteers and maintain strong communication with law enforcement units, so that illegal hunting is dealt with effectively. We still need €7,000 for both Spring Watch and Raptor Camp in 2014; a total of €14,000 that we must raise.

We are therefore writing to you as a veteran camp attendee to seek your support in raising the much needed funds. Could you help us at this very difficult time for birds migrating over Malta by making a donation or asking a local group or friends to help? If so, please send cheques (Euro or Pound Sterling) to us at the office address: BirdLife Malta, 57/28 Marina Court, Triq Abate Rigord, Ta’ Xbiex XBX 1120, Malta or you can make a donation through the BirdLife Malta website.

There is also one last way you could help us out. You could give a talk about the problems on Malta to a local group. This would help to encourage more people to write to their MEP about the problems here on Malta. If you would like a copy of the talk presentation or details of what we would like your MEP to do to help, please contact me." (steve.micklewright@birdlifemalta)

Nr 69/365.

Inlagt 2014-03-10 21:27 | Läst 1485 ggr. | Permalink

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2014-03-10 22:23 frwe

Och det är ju inte bara på Malta. Roligt att så många har skrivit under. Hoppas det går vägen. /Frode

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