Malta's hunting bans have been contested for centuries, research shows

Closure of the hunting season in Malta has been hotly contested for centuries, with the island’s past rulers cashing in on hunting irregularities for hundreds of years, new research shows. Under the Knights, hunting was a major sporting activity reserved for the nobility and the wealthy, with regulations growing stiffer and penalties harsher under consecutive grandmasters. Offenders would either be handed a monetary fine or sentenced for up to five years rowing on the galleys. There were different rules for the privileged. Buskett grounds, for example, were off limits to local gentry, landowners, the clerical class and patentees of the Inquisitor. Harsh punishments were inflicted on those caught in possession of hunting-related equipment, including dogs, or anyone who dared to cut grass from Comino because it served as fodder for rabbits. The northern part of Malta and some parts of Gozo were also protected. Read: 'We hope you're happy now,' hunters' lobby tells EU Commission The Order issued special hunting laws that specified closed seasons. Even back then, such restrictions were meant to protect the limited supply of game and to enable rabbits and birds to breed at certain...