SHout ambassadors defend citizens' right to enjoy the countryside

“It is unfair that 10,000 hunters are allowed to hunt on almost 80% of Maltese countryside in spring.” This was stated by One TV presenter Kevin Mercieca, who is an ambassador for SHout. During his first appearance with SHout, he went on to mention incidents of ramblers being attacked by hunters for ‘trespassing’ and illegal signs going up on public land, claiming it as private.

The anti-spring hunting lobby has called on the Maltese public to stand up for its right to access public land.

Mercieca said that he knew people who were afraid to walk or picnic on public land during the hunting season, due to the presence of hunters.

“Some hunters illegally erect signs saying ‘Privat’ or ‘RTO’ to keep people off public land. Sadly cases of intimidation andharassment from some hunters towards members of the public are not uncommon. Even the very sound of constant gunfire and the showers of lead shot make it impossible for people to enjoy their countryside in spring,” Mercieca said.

Mercieca also said that although he comes from a family of hunters, he felt that given that the countryside is one of the places people can visit for free, “everyone should be able to enjoy it without fear or intimidation.”

New SHout ambassadors include journalists Alison Bezzina and Jo Caruana. They were joined by TV host Moira Delia, WriteMeAnything content writer Iggy Fenech and SHout spokesman Mark Sultana to launch a report on the impact of spring hunting.

A statistic revealed by the FKNK shows that 77% of the countryside is occupied by hunters, jeopardizing every person’s right to enjoy the countryside in spring

Mercieca did have some words of praise however, noting that hunters were responsible for the upkeep of some public spaces, including the planting of trees. 

Delia stressed that people who want to enjoy the countryside at springtime often feel like they putting their lives at risk of being “verbally abused, assaulted or even hit with lead shot.” Delia said that in the report being presented, one person reports having rocks thrown at them by hunters, which is not uncommon, she added.

Delia also spoke about the impact on people living close to where hunting takes place. “Residents may find dead birds on their property while others cannot sleep because of loud electronic bird callers that are played through the night by hunters trying to attract birds to shoot them down.”

The anti-spring hunting campaigners urged the Maltese public to vote “no” and put an end spring hunting so that we can all enjoy our countryside.