Following our article on how the Minister for Agriculture has used animal rights activists to co-opt their support for legalising the keeping of exotic and wild animals, activist Althea Galea reached out to clarify that they, in principle, oppose such legalisation. She highlighted the part of their press release copied below. The amnesty is being supported in an attempt to ensure there are no wild and exotic animals living in horrible and unsecure conditions she said.
This position of the Animal Commissioner is also the same as is the position of the Opposition spokesperson about animal rights Janice Chetcuti.
The lions found abandoned in small cages and in an undernourished states are owned by the ex-drug dealer, and Prime Minister’s friend, Christian Borg.
“As animal activists, we clarified that, within our values, we do not believe anyone should own or ‘collect’ these animals and that they shouldn’t be in Malta in the first place. However, given the reality that these animals are already present in Malta, the best thing would be to suggest a way forward to regularise and control the situation so that incidents like what was discovered at Naxxar do not repeat themselves. These proposals were made for the welfare and interests of these animals above all else, reaffirming our long-term vision and commitment to animal rights. Furthermore, the government has assured us that the amnesty will not affect ongoing legal proceedings, including high-profile cases like the one in Naxxar.”
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