Letter published in THE MALTA INDEPENDENT.

Answers expected from SPCA.

Through your newspaper, on 27 August last (Fallen animals and humane euthanasia), I asked SPCA to come out clean about its policy regarding the killing of stray animals. Among other things, I wrote:

‘SPCA will be discrediting itself if it were to refrain from pronouncing itself with regard to its ‘kill’ or ‘no-kill’ policy. I feel that the Maltese people have a right to know where this association stands in this matter.’

To date, Mrs Cassar Torreggiani, of SPCA Malta, has refrained from answering my question and clarifying as to what policy she and her staff practice at SPCA. This, in itself, is strange, seeing that, in her own words, ‘SPCA has nothing to hide’ (Come and See for yourself, TMI, 23rd August).

One will recall that Mrs Cassar Torreggiani dedicated a letter which was supposedly in answer to factual reports that dogs’ ‘carcasses’ were being dumped at WasteServ, by going into hyper defence-mode and claim that such journalism was ‘biased in editorship’, ‘slanted in its content’, and ‘incorrect in its conclusion’ (same letter)

It is not right for SPCA or for any other animal society, to KILL – there’s no other way of putting it – animals ‘because more than 80 per cent of the time, the home puts animals to sleep at the request of the owner’ (Mrs Cassar Torreggiani’s own words). Nor is it right to hide the truth from animal-lovers and animal-carers such as myself as to what circumstances lead to the killing of the remaining 20 per cent.

The very fact that I decided to put pen to paper and follow-up this issue, where other people gave up, shows that unlike them, I have no political agenda. I have one aim, that being the well-being of animals and the respect of animal rights in our country. Especially by people who should know better.

I will let a few more days pass, awaiting an explanation from SPCA in this regard – failing which, I think that I will be pardoned for changing tone of letter!