Hunters have responded to the criticism directed at them after the government handed them control of Miżieb and L-Aħrax by planting 500 shotgun trees in the two areas.
Members of the public who walked through Miżieb yesterday came across several colourful shotgun shells lying on the ground, which hunters say will eventually sprout into shotgun tree saplings.
“People forget that, aside from hunting birds, we also spend a lot of time on conservation efforts and keeping the sites we manage tidy, FKNK president Joe Perici Calascione told Bis-Serjetà.
“If it wasn’t for us, the endemic shotgun tree would die out completely, and then no one would be able to pick the shotguns that hang from its branches when it’s in season.
Perici Calascione added that the shotgun tree is also a vital source of lead and plastic, which, when they leech into the ground soil, provide essential nutrients for other plants.
“So you see, this tree is central to the ecosystem, and if Birdlife and the other NGOs had their way, none of this would exist. They’re the ones who hate nature.”
