Animal Rescuer Sues AW Director Over 16 Kittens Confiscated During Raid On His Premises
An animal rescuer has opened a legal suit in the Civil Court against the Animal Welfare Director after at least 16 cats were confiscated from his premises.
Mikel St John, who runs the NGO Animal Protectors Malta, is suing Patricia Azzopardi following a number of inspections and a subsequent raid on his premises between January and June this year, claiming the raids were “abusive and illegal”.
In a legal letter sent by Etienne Calleja from Calleja & Associates on behalf of St John, they are calling for the kittens to be returned, and for Azzopardi to resign. The letter was filed today.
The letter claims that the raid was based on “false allegations of animal abuse” that vet Dr Callarissa Edwards approved under Azzopardi’s orders. It calls the confiscation “indiscriminate, without reason or justification under Maltese law”.
The case involves 16 young kittens still being bottle-fed, and who were being given Doxycycline, an antibiotic to treat bacterial infections, the lawyers say.
They allege the confiscation was “indiscriminate” as healthy animals were taken alongside more ill kittens, and that an AW Enforcement Officer ignored “information” related to the case.
Aside from the AW Director, the Police Commissioner and Attorney General were notified of the letter as well.
AW has been in the spotlight recently following a number of national cases with its director Patricia Azzopardi even facing internal accusations, with a board being set to look into the claims.
The entity, tasked with protecting animals’ rights on the island, remains under-resourced and understaffed. However, it continues to carry out raids following inspections that follow protocols.
Though most space and beds within AW are already full, AW still confiscate animals that are found to be in a terrible condition under their standards.
What do you make of this case?
READ NEXT: String Of 15 Historical Niches And Statues In Sliema To Be Restored
