The Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting this afternoon submitted its petition for an abrogative referendum to abolish spring hunting to the Electoral Commission.
A total of 44,376 signatures were collected, 40,351 of which are in the Electoral Register.
The signatures were submitted to the Commission now so that the referendum could possibly coincide with the local council elections to save on costs.
A spokesman for the coalition said that 200 signatures were received this week following the shooting of the black winged stilts.
The coalition is made up of: Ramblers Association of Malta, Nature Trust, Moviment Graffiti, International Animal Rescue Malta, Greenhouse Malta, Gaia Foundation, Friends of the Earth Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Coalition for Animal Rights, BirdLife Malta and Alternattiva Demokratika.