Montekristo Estate Zoo

 

Eight Environment NGOs condemn the way illegalities are ignored by the authorities

 

The Environment NGOs – Birdlife Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Gaia Foundation, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement, Moviment Graffiti, Nature Trust (Malta) and Ramblers Association urgently call upon the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Animal Welfare Department to take immediate action on the Montekristo Estate and address without further delay all illegalities and most urgent of all, the animal welfare issue.

The ENGOs feel that in the case of animal welfare, this issue cannot wait any further since live animals are suffering while the authorities are dragging their feet. The more action is delayed, the more these animals are being affected and exposed to unnecessary and inhumane suffering.

The environment organisations feel that it makes no sense government to profess zero tolerance on illegalities and pass harsher laws for offenders to animal abuse when in the end the same authorities fail miserably to take action and fail to demonstrate the zero tolerance promised.

The Montekristo cases of illegalities have been ongoing for far too long and the NGOs feel that despite electoral manifesto commitments and promises by the relevant authorities to act, nothing tangible is being done while one government after another allows such illegalities to continue and increase.

Polidano group are already well known for their questionable ways on achieving their aims by bullying tactics. The NGOs question how 20 wild animals made it to Malta considering that they are internationally protected species whose trade is banned. A thorough investigation on how these animals were smuggled into Malta should be held before any permit process is started.

It ludicrous and rather rich that Polidano is blaming MEPA for the animals’ inadequate cages. With 55 enforcement notices (2013 figures), it is obvious that this company feels that it is above the law.

The Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretariat has in the past done a sterling job with regards to the eventual banning of animal circuses in Malta. It is high time that the Secretariat also realises that the reasoning behind the same arguments that apply to circuses also apply to the confinement of animals in so called “zoos”. Regardless of the number of generations that wild animals have been in captivity, captive-born wild animals do not lose the instincts and needs of wild animals. They retain their natural instincts to socialise and to roam freely. Zoos deny captive-born wild animals of their need to exhibit their natural behaviours. No matter how much they are taken care of, the fact remains that they would be in a similar situation as “a bird in a gilded cage”.

The NGOs maintain that just like circuses, zoos should be banned from Malta as we do not have the land space, and in some cases the climate, that such wildlife require. The ENGOs strongly feel that it makes no sense to delay action further and abandon the animals in this so-called zoo to suffer.

To add insult to injury the Montekristo Estate was recently allowed to hold a trade fair, despite all illegalities on its site. It is deplorable that companies and authorities that claim green credentials supported this activity.

The eight ENGOs call on the authorities to demonstrate their commitment and resolve and act so Maltese citizens can again gain their trust in the authorities concerned.