TMI letter today, 02 04 2009.

Stop animal cruelty
by Franco Farrugia


Words cannot express what many people felt after reading the news about the horrendous find at Tal-Ferha, Gharghur. It was reported that Freddie Fenech, accompanied by police officers, following an anonymous tip, found a situation which cannot be described in words: live, terrorised and starving puppies as well as skeletons and remains of other animals.

We must stop animal cruelty in Malta. We have to say enough to this black and sordid part of our ‘national identity’.

We need proper legislation and we need proper officials who are crazy about animals and who would feel it their duty to protect animals – especially those that are in a vulnerable situation, such as strays.

We need an Animal Welfare Commissioner who would work completely independent of any governmental department, and who would only be answerable to Parliament. As we have a Commissioner for Data Protection and for Children and for other things, we also need one for animals – for, after all, these need protection as much as children do.

If you prick a child with a needle, it is described as abuse, and rightly, too. But if you prick an animal with the same needle, those same people who previously screamed abuse will look away and say nothing.

It is not right to adopt policies that go against the very welfare of animals. We need policies in Malta that protect and defend these defenseless animals. We need policies that are there to fight the perpetrators – the irresponsible and often cruel human ‘owner’ – and not policies or laws that directly or indirectly go against the beings that we are out to protect and defend. Or, what’s worse, laws that go for those who, albeit rather in a dubious fashion, try to do their best to take strays off the streets and go to prison for it, as we have recently witnessed!

Officers in animal welfare must fall over themselves in their anxiety to protect animals – if they are not prepared to do this, they should move aside and allow others to take their place.

And what about the veterinarians in our country? Where are they? Are they ever heard speaking out against animal cruelty? Do we hear their voices as they defend their very clients?

We must do everything in our power to support animal sanctuaries and associations. Local councils also must help in this matter, and put their money where their mouth is, and financially aid, even if in a modest manner, these sanctuaries, which are generally manned by a handful of volunteers that often dig their hands into their pockets when there are no resources left in the sanctuary they work in.

We must also control breeding taking place in Malta. The authorities would do well to clamp down on this business-of-sorts. It is true that there are a few honest and conscientious breeders; however, people must be made aware that in ‘buying’ a pedigree animal, they are wasting their money as well as making it difficult for more strays to be adopted, homed and put in a sanctuary for their own safety.

And what about a cheap manner of identifying all animals in this country? What about a cheap manner of forcing all ‘owners’ to have their pets micro-chipped?

As for those who claim that our country is at the moment froth with problems such as illegal immigration, hidden poverty and social malaise, well, this is no excuse for us all, as a people, as a State, to relinquish our responsibilities towards defenseless and vulnerable beings.

Please, do not look away. We have been doing this for so long.

No more Tal-Ferha atrocities!!! Let us pull the same rope. Our animals deserve nothing less.