Humans are ‘dangerous animals’, too... | Mary Cassar Torreggiani

For some time now, there have been reports suggesting that Malta’s animal welfare situation has deteriorated alarmingly, in recent years. We hear of shelters being overcrowded; more animals being abandoned; less enforcement of animal welfare regulations; and so on and so forth. From the perspective of someone who manages an animal shelter, however: how much truth is there to that perception?

From our own experience at MSPCA – where, like all other shelters, we deal with the consequences of this issue on a daily basis – I can confirm that there has been a huge increase in animal abandonment, over the last couple of years. Not just here in Malta, but also internationally. 

And there are a lot of factors to account for this. Paradoxically, one of them is that ‘public interest in animals’ has also grown a lot, in recent years.  There is a quite lot of evidence that animal welfare is increasingly becoming more of a ‘priority’, to people in general. We see this in advertising and marketing campaigns, for instance; and especially, on social media platforms.

This is, of course, a positive thing: because with so many people taking an active interest in animal welfare, we can now start asking questions – important questions – about how the situation can be improved; and how animals can become a part of our society, in a way that benefits both them, and people...

Unfortunately, however, there is a negative side to it, too. To give you an example: towards the beginning of the pandemic, there was a noticeable increase (here, as elsewhere) in the number of people interested in adopting a dog or a cat. It was, in fact, the first thing many people went for. Faced with the prospect of having to isolate themselves for so long, people felt the need for companionship; and animals were ‘the next best thing’ after humans, so to speak.  

But now that the crisis is over, and people are going back to work... many of them are now looking for ‘solutions’, to their newfound ‘problem’. So just as we saw an increase in adoption, two years ago; we are now seeing a lot of those animals being abandoned...

What about inflation? I assume that the price of pet food (and veterinary services, etc.) has also increased, in step with everything else. Could it simply be that people are now finding it too expensive to keep those pets?

There is that, too. Expenses are certainly a major consideration, when it comes to taking the decision to adopt a dog or a cat. That is we try to make our rehoming process as thorough, and fool-proof, as possible. It’s not just a question of ‘coming to the shelter, and choosing a dog’. There is a long process involved: which will include a couple of visits [to the prospective home]; as well as a detailed application form, to ensure that the applicant would be ready to make that sort of commitment.

To come back to your original question, though – which was about how ‘true’ the perception is – I have to add that the situation is not all necessarily doom and gloom. Definitely, there is still a lot of work to do; and a lot that needs to be improved...

But we have also seen significant improvements, in the last couple of years.  Bear in mind that NGOs such as AAA, MSPCA & Island Sanctuary have been around, since long before the foundation of [The Animal Welfare Directorate]...

If I’m not mistaken, the MSPCA – which I myself remember as the ‘RSPCA’ – was actually founded by the British, all the way back in 1900....

Precisely. So, shelters have been around for a very long time; they have seen a lot; they have been through a lot... and this enables them to take a step back, and look at the development of animal welfare in Malta, since it all first started. 

And from that perspective, we can safely say that – over the last two years, in particular – there have been vast improvements, in the field of animal welfare.  I do feel that we also need to look at the positive side, of where we are going. Because we ARE moving forward, at the end of the day...

At the same time, however: that’s not the impression you get from reading certain news reports, right now. So first of all: can you give us a few practical examples of these improvements? And secondly – given that so much criticism is currently being levelled at the AWD – how much of this progress would you say is directly attributable to that particular institution? Has it ‘helped’, or ‘hindered’, the advancement of animal welfare in Malta?

Well, one of the issues we face today, is that there is a lot of... ‘noise interference’, at the moment.   A lot of ‘negative publicity’, which – as I was saying earlier – is also partly down to the fact that there is so much more public interest in animal welfare, today, than ever before. 

So in a sense, you could almost say it’s a good thing: because it means that more people care about animals, in general. But on another level, it’s also a ‘hindrance’, at the end of the day. Because ultimately, it serves to distract us from a lot of the good work that is actually being done, on a day-to-day basis, between the shelters, and Animal Welfare...

One of the most important changes we have witnessed, for example, was a movement away from what we used to call the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ approach. Up until only quite recently, it was standard practice to simply ‘throw animals into the same pen’... and just leave it up to the animals themselves, to decide who among them is going to actually ‘survive’.

Today, however, the process is a lot more ‘humane’. There are now protocols in place, to ensure that, as far as possible, resources are used in the best interests of the animals; that they are given the right food; the right ‘accommodation’, if you want to call it that...  basically, that they are given a ‘chance’ (which, in the previous system, they never really had, before.)

Meanwhile, we are also seeing a very promising team of volunteers, and recruits, building up within the animal welfare sector. People who are experienced; dedicated; and who are truly there, for all the right reasons. And it’s making a big difference... even if the changes themselves might appear small – or even ‘invisible’ - to people out there, who don’t visit animal shelters on a day-to-basis...

On the subject of ‘recruits working in the animal welfare sector’, though... how many of them are still there? Because what you just described as ‘noise interference’, a second ago – which I take to mean the recent public outcry, over the AWD’s handling of a particular case – has also led to the resignation of the former AWD Director, Patricia Camilleri (as well as an apparent ‘reshuffle’ of the department’s personnel).

I’d rather not comment on the specifics of the case, if you don’t mind...

I’m not asking you to. What I meant is: are you concerned that – with what appears to be a constant ‘musical chairs’ going on, within the AWD – some of those ‘good people’ you refer to, may be ‘lost’ thus stalling the progress that has been achieved so far?

There is that concern, yes. Because as we all know: when it comes to animal welfare… hands-on experience is incredibly important. And it only comes with time. There is a certain amount of ‘theory’ that goes into it, yes; but ‘theory’, on its own, will not prepare you for the sort of practical situations you will actually find yourself facing, when dealing with animals on a daily basis; or when trying to cope with the actual dynamics of animal welfare (which are, let’s face it, not exactly ‘easy’, at the end of the day) 

For that, you need experience, and training. It takes both time, and ‘know-how’, to be able to cope with those dynamics, in practice; and if we have seen a certain amount of progress, in recent years... it is partly because we [shelters] have been able to collaborate with a number of key people in the AWD, to actually bring those changes about. 

And this is, in fact, our concern right now. We, too, have invested a lot of time, and energy, in building up these relationships. We don’t want to go back, to the situation as it stood before. We don’t want to have to ‘start all over from scratch’, yet again...

What we want, is to keep building on the progress we’ve already achieved, over the past two or so years. But it becomes a little difficult, when the people you’re dealing with keep changing, all the time...

Let’s talk about some of the ‘practical situations’ that might arise, when actually dealing with animals. The case that led to Camilleri’s resignation, for instance, was ultimately about ‘dangerous dogs’. Now: the law empowers the AWD to ‘intervene directly’, in such cases... but what sort of resources did the institution possess, in practical terms, to actually do that? And what would be needed for that purpose, anyway?

It's a difficult question for me to answer, because I don’t know the precise details of what sort of equipment the AWD actually has, at its disposal... 

What I can definitely say, however, is that: the situation itself was highly complex; and in cases like that, what you really need is a triangulation of different professions, and expertise. 

We’re looking at qualified animal behaviourists; we’re looking at qualified vets, who can assess the medical condition of the animals themselves; or (for example) assess the proper dosage, for tranquilisation... and we’re also looking at people who are capable of physically handling the dynamics of that kind of situation, in the first place: who have the necessary know-how, and experience, to actually remove the dogs in question....

At the same time, however: it’s not just the animals themselves, that need to be dealt with. In such cases, you also have to deal with the owners of those animals... which also means you often end up dealing with the purely ‘criminal’ elements, of the whole situation.

As such, it goes beyond just being about ‘animal welfare’, at this stage. A case like this is also a police matter, at the end of the day. There has to be collaboration between the two authorities; and this, perhaps, is why the AWD chose to ‘wait for the police’, before intervening... 

There were, after all, many different dynamics to this case. And we are dealing with people whose criminal tendencies go beyond just ‘animal cruelty’, for its own sake.  Animal cruelty is, in fact, often a symptom of a lot of other criminal issues which need to be addressed... and which CAN be addressed: with the right amount of commitment, and enforcement.

I assume you’re referring to ‘criminal issues’ such as illegal dog-fighting (as was clearly involved in the case we are currently talking about). This raises another peculiarity about that particular incident: with hindsight, the owner was permitted to keep (and even ‘breed’) dangerous dogs, even after his own grandmother was mauled to death, in 2020. What does this say about the state of enforcement, of Malta’s animal welfare laws?

Well: ‘lack of enforcement’ is, I would say, the crux of the entire matter. It is, in fact, the one thing that most people are – quite rightly, I would say – constantly complaining about, at the moment. Because for too long now, we have been witnessing case after case, in which people have openly ‘broken Malta’s animal welfare laws’... without ever facing any real ‘consequences’, to speak of, at all.

To give you but one example, out of many: last April, there was a case where someone had dumped a litter of new-born puppies into a land-fill; and the mother was later found chained in a field.

Now: when the MSPCA took those dogs in, from Animal Welfare... apart from ‘rehoming’ them all (which I’m happy to say that we managed to do), we also identified the person who had committed that crime; and duly reported him to the authorities. 

And yet, all these months later: no action, of any kind whatsoever, has so far been taken against him. Why was he not arrested? Charged in court? Why did he he face no consequences whatsoever, for his actions? 

And if the authorities fail to take action, even in a case like this: how can we expect them to ever clamp down on much more serious, criminal cases of animal cruelty? 

This, ultimately, is why any attempt to improve the animal welfare situation – in Malta, or anywhere else - has to start with proper law-enforcement. Because if people can continue breaking the law, without ever facing any real consequences... it will never stop, will it?