Bye, Bye, Cacopardo! Revisiting Factionalism Through the Hunting Scene in Malta

In June 2014, Malta’s hunters petitioned Parliament to protect ‘minority’ rights against ‘vindictive’ ‘abrogative referendums’. This was the latest episode in their long struggle against Malta’s environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOS), which have taken increasingly strong stands against hunting as a morally distasteful practice. Based on a collaborative project between Conservation Biology and Anthropology, this paper documents the escalation of tensions following the establishment of the ‘Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting’ (CASH) in July 2013, an alliance of local ENGOs pushing for a referendum to make spring hunting illegal. This paper additionally revisits a body of literature on ‘factionalism’, which despite being downplayed in narratives of Anthropology’s development, is still useful in helping us understand the hostilities dominating Malta’s hunting arena and can initiate fruitful collaboration and dialogue between Anthropology and Conservation Biology.