Wildlife Group Demands Government Response

BirdLife Malta has condemned what it describes as a "disgusting" silence from politicians and hunting organisations following footage of a trapper crushing a protected kestrel to death under his boot. Mark Sultana, speaking on behalf of the organisation, told Newsbook Malta that while the act itself was appalling, the absence of condemnation from the hunting lobby and government ministers was even more disturbing. [1]

The incident, captured on film by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) in Gozo, shows a trapper running towards a kestrel entangled in his net, stomping on it, and discarding the body in undergrowth "like rubbish." The kestrel is a protected species listed under Schedule I of Malta's Conservation of Wild Bird Regulations, affording it the highest level of legal protection. [1]

Pattern of Undocumented Cruelty

Sultana said such incidents occur regularly but are rarely documented. "This was a unique case only because it was filmed," he explained, highlighting a broader problem within Malta's trapping culture. [1]

The wildlife advocate expressed particular frustration that the hunting and trapping lobby—represented by FKNK—had yet to issue a formal position distancing themselves from the act. He also criticised the absence of a public response from environment minister Mirim Dalli and hunting minister Clint Camilleri, noting that while three opposition MPs had condemned the killing, no such message had come from the government side. [1]

"The minister should condemn this and send a message of zero tolerance for such things," Sultana said of Camilleri, who is a hunter himself. [1]

Wider Enforcement Concerns

The footage emerged amid heightened tensions over illegal trapping across the islands. CABS reported that 13 poachers had been caught red-handed across Malta and Gozo over the previous ten days, leading to the confiscation of 20 sets of clap nets, 56 live birds and three dead birds. [1]

CABS described the kestrel killing as "a case of exceptional brutal animal cruelty" and "a cautionary example of the complete lack of empathy and compassion with which many poachers act." The organisation also criticised the government's derogations from EU-wide bans on songbird trapping, describing them as a "legal smokescreen" that allows poachers to operate under the pretence of scientific research. [1]

Electoral Politics and Impunity

The case highlights a long-running sociopolitical conflict in Malta, where the hunting and trapping community, estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 licensed individuals, has long wielded significant electoral influence. In a two-party system where elections are often decided by narrow margins, successive governments have been reluctant to alienate the hunting vote. [1]

Critics argue this political calculus has fostered a culture of impunity, where illegal activity is tolerated and enforcement remains weak. BirdLife Malta said the incident exposed the hollowness of attempts by parts of the hunting lobby to portray itself as a community of animal lovers. [1]

"Malta deserves better," the organisation said. "Our wildlife deserves protection, respect, and dignity, not brutality." Sultana described the killing as a symptom of what happens when hunters and trappers feel they can act with impunity. [1]