Malta’s Hunters’ lobby, Il-Federazzjoni Kaċċaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti (FKNK), has filed a judicial protest against BirdLife Malta for “repeatedly, systematically and regularly spying” on them during the hunting and trapping seasons. 

“They film them for long hours while these FKNK members are quietly inside their fields practising hunting and/or trapping,” FKNK said in a statement. 

“The hand of justice must reach everyone, not just hunters and trappers, so these illegal BirdLife Malta activities must stop immediately,” it continued. 

In the judicial protest, FKNK says that BirdLife’s actions amount to a breach of law in the Information and Data Privacy Act. It also says that the activists are patrolling the area and committing “espionage” without any legal authorisation. 

The FKNK has also filed an official complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner against CABS and BirdLife over their patrols in the area. 

Both NGOs regularly patrol Malta’s countryside during the hunting season – often times catching and reporting illegal activities that would oftentimes go unnoticed. 

The judicial protest comes weeks after BirdLife Malta released footage of a hunter instructing a child on how to shoot a gun in Miżieb.