A long-standing dispute between hunters and environmentalists over whether the Mizieb woodland is a legal hunting reserve or not shifted significantly in favour of environmentalists in court today.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea today acquitted BirdLife Malta volunteer Nimrod Mifsud of criminal charges of trespassing in Mizieb, which were brought forward by the police in 2014 following a report by the hunting lobby FKNK. 

The case goes back to April 2014, when Mifsud had accompanied BBC naturalist Chris Packham to Mizieb for part of his documentary series on spring hunting in Malta. 

While Packham and his crew were filming, they were stopped in their tracks by two angry hunters, who demanded they turn the cameras off, accused Packham of “provocating” him and told him to “get the hell out of here”.

Before a police officer arrived to break up the fight, one of the hunters could be heard warning one of the Maltese crew – allegedly Mifsud – in Maltese: “If you publish even the smallest thing, we will come after you..”

Nimrod Mifsud (right) with BBC nature presenter Chris Packham

Indeed, following this episode, the police, on the insistence of the FKNK, charged Nimrod Mifsud with “trespassing” at Mizieb and Ahrax. 

The FKNK has for long claimed Mizieb is a legal hunting reserve, by virtue of an agreement signed by former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, which placed the woodland under the “administration” of the FKNK. The hunting lobby last year demanded the woodland be closed off to non-hunters in the wake of vandalism to hunters’ hides. 

However, magistrate Charmaine Galea today dismissed the FKNK’s claims, noting they had failed to present a site plan of Mizieb and an authentic copy of the elusive 1986 agreement. 

The courts could find no proof Mizieb is a hunting reserve

Her decision was welcomed by BirdLife, who said it should herald in a loosening of the hunters’ grip over Mizieb.

“Today’s sentence confirms Miżieb and Aħrax are in fact public land and the countryside is free to all, with the court reaffirming the principle that no public land should be simply occupied by a lobby group just because its members hold politicians at ransom with their votes,” BirdLife said. “Since 1986, during the hunting season, anyone who is not a hunter was denied access to such grounds unless duly authorised – something which should now change.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]