Someone Was Treated At Mater Dei Hospital After Being Bitten By ‘An Exotic Animal’ This Month
A person in Malta required hospital treatment this month after they were bitten by an exotic animal, Health Minister Chris Fearne has told Parliament.
Fearne was responding to a parliamentary question by Nationalist Party MP Mario Galea, who asked the minister specifically whether he knew about any admissions to Mater Dei Hospital due to a bite by an “exotic animal, like a tiger” during the month of November.
Fearne confirmed that there had in fact been a single case at the hospital, though he noted that the person had only suffered minor injuries.
Galea has in recent weeks reiterated calls for zoos to be banned, or at least, regulated, arguing that Malta was no place for exotic animals.
Speaking in Parliament last month, Galea took Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo to task for backtracking on plans to implement new regulations that would have introduced, among other requirements, the need for mandatory neutering, microchipping, an insurance policy, 24-hour CCTV footage as well as the prohibition of the petting of wild animals at zoos.
The regulations were withdrawn following pushback from local zookeepers.
While unclear what context the incident referred to in the parliamentary question took place in is unclear, it is yet another reminder of the need for the proper regulation of exotic animals in Malta.
Galea has repeatedly questioned how “animals on the brink of extinction” could be found roaming around in Maltese zoos.
“Is anyone investigating how they got into the country? Do we know how many exotic animals we have in Malta?” he had asked, adding that he was aware of many cases of large exotic animals living in people’s residences.
Earlier this month Refalo, responding to another parliamentary question by Galea, revealed that an impact assessment of Maltese zoos had been commissioned.
The assessment is meant to look into the impact of a change in laws on Maltese zoos. Refalo told Parliament that the assessment was in its final stages and would be completed within weeks, though he did not commit to an end date.
As of 2019, Malta had 46 exotic animals, housed in one of the seven licensed zoos on the island, or in private homes modified to keep them.
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