Hunters file judicial protest requesting PM to open trapping season

The Federation for Hunting & Conservation (FKNK) yesterday filed a judicial protest against the Prime Minister as minister for the environment, for not having declared open season for the trapping of turtle doves, quails, golden plovers and song thrushes.

The FKNK said recommendations from the Malta Ornis Committee, which groups hunters and conservationists BirdLife Malta, to open the trapping season from 1 September 2011 and close on 10 January 2012, were not heeded.

The FKNK’s protest says that its trapper members have effectively paid or renewed their trapping licences as early as last February, so that as is norm every year, when the season opens each member can legally trap unhindered.

“These members have been suffering, and will continue to suffer serious prejudice damages. They have a legal right to live-capture these unprotected species, who because of such legal expectation anticipate to legally trap these birds on and between the months of September and January.

“When these members paid their respective licences, there were no indications whatsoever that they would be prevented from trapping these species, so much so, that in each personal trapper’s Carnet de Chasse it is clearly stated that the trapper was being granted the permission to trap those particular species.”