Cartridge is loaded, my trench coat unzips Eyes on the clock and his hand on the grip Sawed-off, Zoloft, the cocktail is lit Make his family proud, he got a scholarship Oh, no! They don’t know what’s gonna happen Oh, no! They don’t know. Well, look who’s laughing My cartridge is loaded, my trench coat unzipped My eyes on the clock, and my hand on the grip Sawed-off, Zoloft, my cocktail is lit We gonna make this family proud, he got that scholarship Oh, no! They don’t know what’s gonna happen Oh, no! They don’t know. Well, look who’s laughing Lunch room exploded, my gun met her lips Well, she can take it stop throwing a fit Popped off her top off in class where she sits, Took down the class clown, and saved the misfits. Oh, no! They don’t know what’s gonna happen [3x] Oh, no! They don’t know. Well, look who’s laughing [3x]

“A dead turtle dove was left on the steps of Castille by Birdlife following a news conference the organisation held prior to an expected court decision on the hunting of turtle doves on Friday.

Addressing the media, members of the organisation said the current spring hunting season on the common quail, which has been open since Monday, has already resulted in a significant number of European turtle-doves being killed illegally. A decision on whether turtle-doves may be hunted legally in Malta is expected on Friday.

Birdlife had filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction last week which was provisionally upheld by the court.

It is arguing that the decision allowing turtle-doves to be hunted between April 17 and 30 is based on false data disregarding the periled conservation status of the species.

A court presided by Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti shall be hearing the case on Friday.

The recommendation to open a hunting season on turtle-dove was taken at an Ornis Committee meeting on March 29 on the basis of a report tabled by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU).

This stated that Malta’s reference population on turtle-doves has increased between 10-12%, with the committee agreeing to a quota of 1,500 birds to be killed over a two-week period.

BirdLife Malta is contesting the science behind “such flawed calculations” especially given the fact that top experts and scientific institutions regard the European turtle-dove as continuously declining, with their populations being at the lowest since 2003.

Birdlife said that the most up-to-date data on declining turtle-dove populations was recently tabled during a meeting of the EU’s task force on the recovery of birds, for which officials from the Ministry for Gozo’s WBRU also attended.

During the meeting experts recommended a Europe-wide suspension on the hunting of turtle-doves to mitigate the continued loss of the species, and even singled out Malta, Birdlife said.

Addressing journalists in front of Castille on Thursday, Birdlife president Darryl Grima said Birdlife is seeking justice “on this travesty of a season which risks damaging a declining species”.”

• BirdLife’s Stop the Slaughter campaign.
• CABS’ poaching report form.
• Get involved with/support CABS.
• Ways to support BirdLife Malta.
• Operation Turtle Dove.