The injured kestrel at St Edward’s College. Photos: William Watson

The hunting season was closed three days early after a hunter shot a protected bird of prey that fell bleeding into a schoolyard while students were taking their lunch break.

The sight of the shot kestrel – which may live – left students of St Edward’s College in Cottonera “traumatised”, according to a teacher, and prompted Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to close the season.

Soon after the report appeared on the Times of Malta website, Dr Muscat tweeted: “Despite a sharp decline in illegalities, today’s hunting incident is inexcusable. I have decided to immediately close down the season.”

The news was welcomed by Birdlife Malta, which had been at the forefront of the anti-hunting campaign in the run-up to the referendum earlier this month, which was won by the hunting lobby.

“Closing the season was the right response considering the series of illegalities that took place during the hunting season,” Birdlife executive director Steve Micklewright said when contacted.

Mr Micklewright noted that with the changing weather conditions migration was expected to pick up, so “hopefully this means a lot of birds will be saved over the next three days”.

We know we have been warned about this, but it only proves that there are certain people who don’t care about any warnings

Before this incident, there were at least four reported shootings on protected birds and two people were arraigned in court over illegal hunting. Yesterday’s incident took place at around 12.30pm while children were out in the schoolyard. Teacher Diana Triganza said the students, aged between seven and 10, were so “traumatised” by what they had seen that a few started screaming when the bird fell on to the football pitch.

The bird was shot from outside the school grounds. Although hit, it kept flying, until it was shot again. That was when it crashed into the school grounds. Five shots in all were heard.

‘We’re sending a strong message’

The police were called and officers from the ALE took the bird away. Officials from the Animal Welfare Department told school teachers the bird might survive.

Hunting lobbies FKNK and St Hubert Hunters condemned the incident and called for whoever was responsible to be brought to justice.

St Hubert Hunters president Mark Mifsud Bonnici questioned why hunting was allowed near the perimeter of a school.

It was inconceivable, considering the “exemplary behaviour” of the absolute majority of hunters this season, that few still persisted with criminal behaviour, he said.

When contacted, Mr Mifsud Bonnici said his lobby group did not agree with collective punishment, because people who were totally unrelated to such an incident are being punished as well.

There is no longer a place for such abuse

“We know we have been warned about this, but it only proves that there are certain people who don’t care about any warnings and would be better off if the legal hunters were not there, because they would still carry on with their actions.”

The bird is still alive despite being shot.

FKNK’s Lino Farrugia reiterated that collective punishment was unfair, and added he had not yet fired a shot this season because of low migration.

After the Yes camp won the anti-spring hunting referendum, the Prime Minister had warned that this was the hunters’ “last chance” and he would close the season if there was “flagrant abuse of hunting laws”.

In a statement issued a couple of hours after the incident at St Edward’s College, the government said abuse during this season declined “drastically” through strong enforcement and collaboration.

Nonetheless, yesterday’s incident could not be justified and no information was received about the perpetrator.

The government was closing the season with immediate effect to send a strong message that there was no longer a place for such abuse.

For the Opposition, yesterday’s incident could not go unnoticed and the government’s decision to close the season was “inevitable”.

Meanwhile, Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola said it was obvious that spring hunting made no sense “despite Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil’s posturing”.

The premature closure was also welcomed by the Coalition Against Spring Hunting and the League Against Cruel Sports.