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‘I Was Sailing Alone’: Maltese Activist Resigns From ‘Charade’ Role In Under-Fire Animal Welfare

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The chair of Malta’s Animal Welfare Council has resigned from her role stating that she was ‘sailing alone’ in the face of the many challenges the entity faced.

Romina Frendo, a founding member and Secretary-General of Real Animal Rights (RAR Malta), had been occupying a role as the chair of Malta’s Animal Welfare Council since 2020. However, on Wednesday, Frendo announced her resignation on social media.

The Animal Welfare Directorate, tasked with a range of services including catching strays, finding places for them to stay and answering the 1717 helpline, has faced public backlash in recent days. Activists say an otherwise healthy kitten being put down unnecessarily is just one example of potential mismanagement as the daily challenge of finding resources – beds in particular – continues.

“I make this statement with all seriousness and responsibility. This is nothing that has not happened before. The only difference is that before as a mere activist, I was ignored by the then directorate, the parliamentary secretary, and the Prime Minister.”

“However, now that I know that fosterers are full, broke, and exhausted, there seems to be a little more for me to do.”

Frendo maintains her role in the AW was purely advisory.

But that hasn’t stopped people from resorting to tagging Frendo in posts on affairs related to the AW department in desperation and anger. And following the announcement of her resignation, she has responded in kind.

“Stop tagging me in affairs related to AW,” she wrote. “I do not work there, have never worked there, have only tried to do my best over the years I spent as a chair of the AW council; a purely advisory role by definition, but a duty I went beyond.”

“To my knowledge, I was never aware of any animal being put to sleep at AW during my tenure as chair, namely because I was assured that such practices are only reserved in the worst of cases.”

“My fight for animal rights will go on in a different manner now.”

“I resigned because I felt there is no relevance for my role as chair,” she told Lovin Malta. “I sought to change things but nothing has changed. I am kept in the dark about many things.”

Frendo categorically dismissed being aware of any policy to euthanise animals, healthy or non-healthy. But from the information she kept “accidentally” coming across, she felt the need to put up a public post on her social media stating that in the event of finding a sick animal, she would not send it for treatment at AW.

“I will not send animals to APH, the company engaged by AW, because I feel as though I will not be given information in time to save its life in time.”

“There is a lack of staff, a great lack of resources. They – including the director and the vets there – have their hearts in the right places, but unfortunately, they are not given enough tools.”

Frustrations surmounted in knowing that she had occupied a purely advisory role at the establishment, however, Frendo said that any advice she pitched “got nowhere.”

“It is pointless having more council meetings when things that were recommended months ago have still not seen the light of day.”

“I can’t sit around and get remunerations for work that I do which then ends up in a public consultation when then my feedback is not taken into consideration despite having done a tremendous amount of work.

“The council is there purely as a charade. It has no executive role.”

Frendo also claimed that more issues cropped up after a lack of communication with the higher authorities on animal rights. A situation that left her in the dark more often than not.

“I feel my eyes are covered and I’m walking in the dark. I don’t know what sort of effectiveness my role there is having.”

Her resignation has all but highlighted the growing struggles faced within the establishment, albeit despite positive intentions. The sad reality of the profound lack of resources has all but diminished the efforts that come with resolving pervading issues of animal welfare in Malta.

Have you had a negative experience in relation to the Animal Welfare Directorate in Malta? If so, drop us a line at [email protected]

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