A delegation from the council of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) paid a courtesy visit on Prime Minister Robert Abela during which hunting and trapping were discussed, the federation said.

They also discussed FKNK conservation projects and the involvement of the federation with various ministries and government authorities, it said. 

The FKNK officials presented the prime minister with a sculpture of a turtle dove made by Stephen Fenech.

Turtle dove numbers are in decline in Europe and the breed has a ‘Vulnerable to Extinction’ status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A moratorium on its hunting in spring was lifted last year in Malta.

Last November a court struck down an agreement that had handed the federation the management of Miżieb and L-Aħrax woodlands. The federation said at the time it would discuss the way forward with the government. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.