Unsustainable state of affairs

Animal rights activist Moira Delia told Lovin Malta about one case, which had already been flagged to this website, involving a number of dogs in Żabbar. The dogs live with their owner who is not able to care for them properly for one reason or another.

The owner in fact has already had several of his dogs seized by the directorate, which would also take the remainder were it not for the fact that it literally has no place to house them.

“We’re going to be taking some food for their owner because he isn’t even in a position to feed them, but that isn’t sustainable,” Delia said, adding that photos of the dog had been sent to her with an urgent appeal for help. 

“Something needs to be done immediately because these dogs can’t remain where they are. Not to mention all the puppy mills and other cases there are out there.

“We know the pens are full, mainly because the present director and her team are doing such a good job tracking down backyard breeders. This is even all the more reason to give them more resources.” 

Delia insisted that the directorate was doing all it could, given the circumstances, but she stressed the need for serious government investment to ensure the directorate is able to carry out its function.

A similar incident was reported to Lovin Malta yesterday when Romina Frendo, an animal rights activist and volunteer said she was unable to get animal welfare to confiscate a severely malnourished dog.

She also emphasised the need for Malta to have proper breeding regulations since, as things currently stand, the authorities have little power over the industry.

Frendo stressed that the directorate could be given all the space and resources in the world, but the country would still face the same problem without controlling the number of how many animals are brought into the world.

Lack of resources flagged in investigation

The issue of the directorate being under-resourced is by no means new and was perfectly illustrated in a recent investigation commissioned by the Animal Welfare Commissioner, into allegations that the directorate was arbitrarily euthanising dogs.

The investigation found that this was in fact not the case but was striking in that, while the very broad cross-section of stakeholders consulted disagreed on some points, they were all categorical in stating that the directorate was severely under-resourced. 

“All the volunteers, activists and witnesses agreed that [the directorate] lacks resources both in space, equipment and mostly human resources. However, most volunteers also agreed that the dogs are treated well and taken care of in the best way possible given the current resources and situation,” the report had concluded.

“The directorate’s resources need to be reviewed and increased dramatically,” one witness had said.

“All employees were in agreement with the decisions taken and felt at peace that given the current resources at [directorate], euthanasia was the kinder option,” said another about the decision to euthanise aggressive dogs.

The report is littered with references to the directorate’s lack of resources, but it is, by the looks of it, unlikely that this will be changing any time soon.

In her warning, Bezzina had called for the setting up of a national neutering campaign as well as stricter controls on breeders and the enforcement of the requirement for pets to be microchipped, as well as a desperate need for a campaign educational campaign teaching people about responsible animal ownership. 

To be fair to the authorities we have had movement on many of these fronts. We’ve seen several court sentences handed down against people found guilty of mistreating animals, as well as enforcement with regards to illegal breeders and a budget allocation for a national neutering campaign.

Bezzina also said recently that LESA officials will soon be equipped with a microchip reader and the power to inspect dogs, making the process of verification considerably simpler.

The budget will also see funds dedicated to “exploring the feasibility of a setting up a rehoming centre” as well as towards drawing up a national animal welfare strategy.

No budget allocation will however go towards beefing up the animal welfare directorate, though sources have suggested that the possibility exists that some additional resources will be provided to the directorate next year.

Lovin Malta has reached out to Animal Welfare Director Patricia Azzopardi for comment and is awaiting a response.

A spokesperson for the Animal Rights Ministry said it was “aware of the situation at the Animal Welfare Directorate and is providing its constant support”.

“The Ministry will be embarking shortly on an educational campaign to encourage neutering and microchipping of pets, while promotion of adoptions for dogs and cats currently housed at Animal Welfare Directorate is being undertaken during December. An event to promote adoptions will be announced shortly, to be held in January,” the spokesperson said.

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