|
This time it is Proact which has fired the first shot in the AUTUMN OFFENSIVE against the hunting and trapping of migratory
birds on Malta.
We have freely quoted from the scores of mails which have reached us over the past weeks.
KEEP
THEM COMING! We will pass your views on to those, who due to inaction, ignorance or political calculation, bear the ultimate
responsibility of the barbaric killing of defenceless birds. Click on the link:
MAIL FOR PROACT
Open letter to decision-makers and opinion-formers on Malta.
Open letter to:
The President of Malta
The Prime Minister of Malta
The responsible Ministers and
Departments of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Tourism, Environment Protection, Police and others
Dear President,
Dear Prime Minister, Ministers and Others,
Dear Readers,
The annual bird migration from their northern
breeding areas to winter quarters is once again underway. Members of our organisation will be attending the annual raptor
camp on Malta in September and their experiences and impressions of the island and its people will be recorded and published
by Proact.
Over the past weeks and months we have received a flood of mails and letters protesting against the
slaughter of migratory birds on Malta. A selection is shown below. They are printed unedited as they show vividly the strong
and widespread personal disgust and frustration that the killing and trapping of birds on the islands generates. Many others
have written direct to the Maltese authorities and newspapers. It would be unwise to underestimate the growing anger and disbelief
that such practices are still tolerated in a civilised country. We leave you to draw your own conclusions as to the effects
that this has, and will continue to have, on Maltas image abroad and, inevitably, the tourist economy.
Proact
will continue to publicise such outrages until it becomes clear that a real effort is being made by the government and its
executive organs to put an end to the killing, trapping and imprisoning of migrating birds. The seeming indifference to date
over genuine expressions of concern from outside Malta does not augur well; but we hope that commonsense, or even political
calculation, will eventually prevail.
Please do not send us acknowledgements that our letter has been sent to
the appropriate authorities for their consideration. You can help your economy by saving the postage costs. It is about time
that all politicians on Malta, at whatever level, realise that this matter concerns all of them and not just the desk officer
or policeman who has to cope with the results of their inaction, ignorance or disinterest.
Yours sincerely,
David Conlin, Berlin, Germany
For Proact
18. August 2001
< https://proaction.tripod.com/
>
Copies of this letter are being passed to the press and conservation organisations and will be published
on the internet.
Letters to Proact (an unedited - selection)
I hereby offer
my support to your organisation in an effort to stop the appalling slaughter of large numbers of migratory birds as they pass
through and over Malta.
Jerry Warne (UK)
I support your protest campaign against the annual
spectacle of the Maltese migrating bird hunt. Even ignoring the fact that this is a barbaric custom, it is extremely selfish,
on a par with 'trophy hunters' of the past and has no place in the modern environment we have
today. It also provides
no scientific information that is useful for the survival of the species - indeed, the very act itself is highly likely to
be jeopardising those populations whose individuals pass over these islands.
Dr. K. J. Caley, Zoologist / Marine
Biologist, UK
Please, put me into the Campaign. Best wishes and good luck with enough letters
Doz. Dr. sc. nat. Edwin Donath, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
Please include me. I wrote years ago to the paper and the President re the slaughter....
Joan
Thompson, UK
I'm supporting the protest against the barbaric bird slaughter on Malta! I hope the
birds fight back like in the Hitchkock movie!
Regards
Ulf Hedlund, Sweden
I'm
horrified over the fact that you don't put an end to this awful behaviour! It's time that we start to treat the animals with
the same respect that we want for ourselves. They deserve nothing less!
Jeanette Holmgren, Sweden.
I fully agree with the content in your letters targeted at leading decision makers and opinion-formers on
Malta. I want my name under all of them.
Göran Mellbring, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Sweden
My wife and I visited Malta in November 1999, and were disgusted by the trapping clap nets we saw, the finches
in cages as decoys and the shooting cabins all around the coast, and of course the shots.
In our opinion, Malta should
not be allowed to join the EU, until it put its bird laws, in line with the rest of the EU.
And of course we will not
be tourists again in Malta, we love open spaces and birds.
Peter & Fran Wolstenholme, Ireland
Vi vill inte att våra fåglar skjuts, skadas eller dödas då det gäller liv och ev tidigare inkanationer av
levande varelser.
Fåglarna kan inte vara så stort problem för mänskligheten så att detta skall kunna tillåtas.
Skjut
istället den eller de som kommit på denna idiotiska iden.
Häls E Kvarnström, Stockholm Sweden
We must put a STOP to the barbaric bird slaughter on Malta that is currently
going on!
Thomas
Magnusson, Sweden
STOP THE BIRD-SLAUGTERING ON MALTA!!!
I WILL NEVER VISIT MALTA AS A TOURIST BECAUSE OF
WHAT IS GOING ON.
Eric Magnusson, Sweden
I am a resident of the state of Nebraska
in the United States. I love to watch birds and may someday get to Malta if there are any birds left there.
Please
stop the senseless slaughter or capture of migrating birds. If this continues, many species will disappear as did the passenger
pigeon in the eastern United States.
Carolyn Hall, USA
One thing I like to see when
I travel is the wildlife and especially the birds. I would never think of traveling to Malta with this history of bird killings.
Animal abuse is considered to be done by mentally ill people. Are all the Maltese people mentally ill? Who could commit
such murders and who could stand by while others kill these birds and do nothing? This is not the kind of place I want to
go to for a vacation. It is not what anyone in the US would want to see on their vacations either.
Humans will never
be happy until they torture and murder everything on earth including other humans.
Sandra M. Cannon, USA
Please see that a stop is put to the slaying of these beautiful birds.
Sincerely,
Peggy
Wareham, USA
Stop this senseless killing. Too bad humans act like this. If there anything like some I
have known they kill for the fun of it, and don't even eat the bird. Sick!!
Brenda Marie, USA
The barbaric bird slaughter on Malta MUST STOP!
Debora, Rovello Porro (CO), Italy
Please add my name to the various letters to be sent to representatives of the Maltese Government in protest at
the continuing hunting of birds. Well done for keeping the issue in the public domain and keep up the good work.
Yours sincerely,
Eugene Archer, Dublin, Ireland
PS: You can also add that hell will freeze over
before I'll set foot in Malta and I shall be encouraging everyone I know, whether they're interested in birds or not, to
boycott the country and its tourist industry !
Can you add me on the list of protesting birders against
killing of migrating birds at Malta? I have read it at your page and I strongly support the protest against this kind of cynic
slaughter.
Samuel Pacenovsky, Slovakia
My name is Alexsandra Kyrzakos and I am from Canada.
Please add my name and my husbands name, Paul Elieff, to all of your petitions to stop the bird slaughter in Malta.
God
Bless!
Alexsandra Kyrzakos, Canada
I am writing to protest the bird slaughter in Malta. All
species in our precious ecosystem should be left as they are.
Wendy Lochner
Sayville, NY, USA
For Favour of publication.
I understand from various sources that migratory birds are still being
killed by the Maltese people. Migratory birds are a beauty and a benefit for all people, everywhere. I strongly object to
the unpleasant Maltese habit of killing the small songsters whose presence I would otherwise enjoy. I urge the government
of Malta finally to make the killing of wild birds illegal, to bring to justice any criminal found to be killing birds, and
to make public the findings of court proceedings.
Eileen Cameron, UK
I wish
to protest the slaughter of birds in Malta.
My sisters and I were planning an extended trip to the Med this
Fall. We will skip Malta and visit only countries that do not condone barbaric practices.
Bobbie Fisher, USA
Having been to Malta [just the once was enough] you have my wholehearted support. Sadly time constraints
prevent me offering much in the way of active support .
John Wilson, Wales
Of course I agree.
I was already helping these guys in the mid sixties!
Norman van Swelm, Netherlands
I
will willing support the Malta campaign with my signature. It completely disgusts me whats going on in the Mediterranean.
Carl Baggott, UK
Such actions of cruelty against birds and other animals in overseas countries
are forcing me to vote with my feet and I will no longer visit such countries until they review their policies.
I wish
you every success with the campaign and genuinely hope that the governments of these countries realise that people find this
type of action not only sickening but unnecessary.
Janet Ward, UK
I have heard the
Malta story in great details from a bunch of Maltese birders who came and stayed on my farm in Zimbabwe quite a few years
back. It is a totally sickening situation and you may certainly add my name to any proposals that you wish to send to the
Maltese government. The Brits have been trying for donkey's years to force some opposition but the hunting lobby is so strong
that the government bows to it although occasionally pays lip service to the EU. I do not really know just how to pressurise
these people apart from putting a trade embargo on all guns and ammunition but then the illegal gun-runners would get to work
at night.
Tony Tree, South Africa
Ich möchte gerne an der Protestaktion gegen die
Massentötung von Vögeln auf Malta teilnehmen
Katharina Springer, Germany
I do support your
actions to create an opinion against the bird slaughter in Malta!
Mikael Dahlberg, Lund, Sweden
Please add my name to the petition (or similar sentiments):
Eddy Blyth, Karen Casey, Brian
Sharkey, Chris Lamsdell, Sean Huggins, Roger Hughes, Judith Smith, Rob Innes, Alina Congreve, Dave and Jane Pearson, Nick
Pomiankowski, John Farrar, Chris Anson, Chris Mead, Andy and Jackie McKee, Gruff Dodd, Andy Mabbett, Ceri Jones, Janet Jones,
Sian Jones, Steve Hay, Martyn Hall, Paul Chandler, Paula Shepherd, Verity Townshend , Maisie Townshend, UK
Drs.
Q.L. Slings, Jo Seegers, Drs. Guus van Duin (biologist/journalist), Kees Bakker, Sake de Vlas, Kitty Bakker-Nuberg, Pim Wolf,
The Netherlands
Arnau Bonan Barfull, Spain
Claire Spottiswoode, South Africa
Alexandre
Goueffon, France
Juha Koskinen, Olli Tenovuo, Finland
Ola Nilsson, Stefan Oscarsson, Lars Svensson,
Anna Palm, Christer Sjoang, Sigvard Lundgren, Ingemar Amberndtsson, Frida Annerbäck, Sweden
Yvon Princen, Erik
van Bogaert, Wim Veraghtert, Belgium
Dr Maria Paspaleva and Dr.Matei Talpeanu ornitholgists, Bucuresti, Romania
Gail Wehunt, Janice Boyd PhD , Kitty Araiyama, Len Torvinen, Ann Torvinen, Margery Olsen, Karli Fitzmaurice,
Katie Fitzmaurice, Gloria Van Dellen, Wilma Wells, Betty Jean Herner, Denise Fainberg, Jody Keelin, Lori and Richard Rothstein,
Gail Cross, USA
Jeff Price, Ibis Excursions, Bird, Nature & Photography Tours, Denmark
Fiona
Courtis, Philip Griffin, Australia
John Spiteri-Gingell, Ursula Franke, Oliver Nüssen, Germany
Alf
Tore Mjøs, Biret Máret Kallio, Norway
Cyril Schönbächler, Switzerland
Dermot McCabe, Ireland
Diego Rubolini, Marta Rubolini, Silvana Erbice , Agostino Rubolini, Violetta Longoni, Renato Longoni, Fiorella Busin,
Leonella Lonardoni, Silvino Erbice, Giovanni Erbice, Benedetta Erbice, Pedroni Maria Alberta, Paola Furini, Giovanni Venegoni,
Antonio Montanari, Silvio Vincenzi, Claudia Valoriani and Fabio Mirandola, Andrea Tarozzi, Chiara Scandolara, Bruno Caula,
Italy
...and (very) many others!
--- I am saving all further incoming communications for
our next letter. ---
|
