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Mario Galea On Whether PN Shares Position Against Zoos: Nobody Told Me To Stop Talking About it 

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Nationalist MP Mario Galea has said that he saw no reason for his party not to share his position against zoos, insisting that the position should be held by everyone, including the government. 

Galea, together with PN MP Edwin Vassallo, addressed a press conference this afternoon about estimates for the Animal Rights Ministry, during which he was asked about a speech he gave in Parliament this week. 

During his address in the House, Galea was critical of Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo, who he accused of bowing down to pressure by controversial zookeeper Anton Cutajar, a claim he repeated this afternoon. 

“If you go and look at his Facebook profile it is full of insults against me and full of praise for the Animal Rights Minister,” he said.  

‘Nobody has ever censured me’

Galea was asked three times whether the position was shared by the PN. 

“I have said it many times and nobody has told me anything about it,” Galea said. 

“I have been repeating these statements under three different leaders. Nobody has censured me within the party. Until someone comes up with an alternative or position, this is my position and that of the Nationalist Party.” 

The MP pointed out that the position was also held by Malta’s Animal Welfare Commissioner.

Animals not made for captivity 

“I understand that there are people who don’t necessarily agree with me and don’t mind going to zoos,” Galeas said, adding that while they might be well cared for, the fact remained that they were not made to live in captivity. 

He also said that Malta was too small to have such animals. “They are predators and their prey can sense them from a long-distance away. There are animals living in constant fear because they can sense that these predators are in the vicinity and they obviously wouldn’t know they are caged.” 

Another consideration, Galea added, was that in most cases, these animals were kept in locations where events, including weddings, were held. 

“I don’t think it crossed the Lord’s mind when he was creating exotic animals that they would end up locked in a place with weddings and loud music.” 

Specialised animal cruelty police unit

Galea also called on authorities to clamp down on illegal breeders, insisting that anyone choosing to breed animals should have the necessary skills and oversight to do so. 

The PN is also proposing a specialised animal cruelty section within the Malta Police Force. The unit, he said, should be able to employ forensic methods in order to properly investigate cases. 

“So when we find an exotic animal outside, we can know whether they were killed or whether they died a natural death,” Galea said. 

The party is also proposing government controls on the medication used by animals, which Galea said were often excessively high. 

He also called on the government to see to it that Malta’s laws are amended in order to outlaw bestiality.

Do you agree with the PN’s proposals?

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Yannick joined Lovin Malta in March 2021 having started out in journalism in 2016. He is passionate about politics and the way our society is governed, and anything to do with numbers and graphs. He likes dogs more than he does people.

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