Reaction to Razzett tal-Hbiberija letter.

Where are our priorities?
Shirley Sammut, San Gwann.
Franco Farrugia (Where Are Those Animals, October 12) began his letter by rightly claiming that we live in an "animal-unfriendly" society, where animals are not given the care and respect they, as God-given creatures, deserve. However, he then goes on to imply that the authorities at Razzett Tal-Hbiberija do not care about the animals that were lost or killed, just because they only mentioned the loss the disabled children will suffer, in their comments.
I am a very keen animal lover and I was sickened to hear about the incident at the park but we should get our priorities right. I have worked with the people at Razzett and they are a dedicated and caring group of people whose main concern is the disabled children they work with. Their immediate thoughts will obviously go to how these children will be affected by this theft and to how much of their hard-earned funds will now have to go towards buying more animals and training them as soon as possible, as well as for setting up an effective security system for the park.
Having said that, they are also animal lovers and it was definitely not easy for them to find the deer in that state, besides the shock of the robbery. They certainly did not act "as if nothing has happened" and Mr Farrugia can rest assured that no investigations are necessary to ensure that they are responsible enough to have animals under their care.
And he can also put his mind at rest that the police are doing their job well too. It seems ironic that, in the same newspaper, there was in fact a report that the police already have three people in custody in relation to the robbery. (Three men were subsequently arraigned). Well done!
Many people and organisations have turned this ugly event around by donating generously to Razzett and I invite Mr Farrugia to put his money where his mouth is and make a donation too. If the animals are replaced soon, he can then go and visit the park and see more than one deer in real life, an experience which I'm sure he'll enjoy. Can you imagine how much more joy a young disabled child will get out of it? Keep up the good work Razzett!

COMMENT: (Letter sent in answer to THE TIMES): Ms Shirley Sammut takes me to task for expressing my belief that the Razzett tal-Hbiberija authorities did not adequately show enough care for the animals that they had at the Park and which were stolen some weeks ago.

Certainly, there is no need for her to tell me where and how to donate my money. I, too, like her, have my own priorities and prefer to help animals directly in the plight they constantly find themselves, here in Malta. And certainly, I will not give money for more animals to be made captive by careless entities.

With regard to the animals at Razzett tal-Hbiberija, I not only imply, but believe, that the Razzett should have shown much more care towards their animals. This can be seen by the fact that it is only now that action is being taken to upgrade the security within the Park, as Ms Sammut herself says in her letter.

Unlike Ms Sammut, I believe that God’s creatures are equal, great and small. If human lives are precious, so are animal lives. This is where I stand.

With this in mind, I am sorry but I simply cannot agree with her priorities.

I am sorry I cannot accept Ms Sammut’s assurances that no investigations are necessary. On the contrary, the problem in Malta is that with a pathetic Animal Welfare Act, rarely any action is taken to remedy shortcomings perpetrated against animals in Malta, be it by individual or by corporate entities.

I do not dispute the fact that the Razzett tal-Hbiberija is an entity which is giving sterling service to the community. And it does so with limited financial resources. It may therefore be forced into throwing its responsibilities towards its animals into bottom gear. That, Ms Sammut, is where we simply do not agree, however much you claim to be a ‘very keen animal lover’.