Animal rights activists protest inaction over lions and leopard in illegal enclosure

Animal rights activists staged a protest outside the Public Abattoir on Tuesday, calling out the Veterinary Regulation Directorate (VRD) and government authorities for failing to seize four lions and a leopard found in an illegal enclosure in Naxxar earlier this year.

Protesters expressed outrage at the continued captivity of the animals, which were discovered in January in what they described as “unacceptable conditions.”

Despite promises from Minister for Animal Welfare Anton Refalo and Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said that action would be taken, activists say the animals remain in the same environment with no practical steps taken to safeguard their welfare.

“Let’s make things clear—these dangerous animals should have never entered our country,” said Moira Delia, a presenter and animal rights activist. “There is no place for lions, tigers, bears in our country because no matter how hard we try, even with the best intentions and resources, there is no way we can give these majestic creatures what they have in their natural habitats.”

Delia criticised the authorities for what she described as a lack of urgency and commitment. While the owner is reportedly facing prosecution, she said no plan exists to relocate the animals to a safer environment.

“After a two-hour meeting with the VRD last week, we were told that there is no plan for these lions to be confiscated and moved to a safer place. We know that this is coming from higher above!” she said.

The VRD has previously said it cannot move the animals because it lacks a suitable facility to house them. But activists argue this is a poor excuse for inaction.

“We do not have a decent temporary area for when these wild animals if they are confiscated, which basically means that our authorities are toothless. They have no strength to enforce the law, and unless something changes, unless we get the resources and the personnel that we are asking for, animals will continue to suffer, just like these lions in Naxxar will continue to live in sub-standard conditions, there will be many more that face such faith,” Delia said.

She warned that unless the government invests in trained personnel and emergency resources, Malta will continue to face similar situations, with more wild animals suffering in silence.

The Island Sanctuary Association said it strongly believes that wild animals belong in the wild. “No cage—irrespective of size—can ever make up for the freedom they lose. It is a mystery why, in tiny Malta, they were ever permitted in the first place. Making it legal does not make it right.”

The protest was led by Vuci ghall-Annimali and 20 animal rights groups, with the participation of Italian activist Enrico Rizzi and Uniti Per Salvarli.