Joseph John Vella appointed as Animal Welfare’s acting director

Joseph John Vella has been appointed Animal Welfare’s acting director, therefore succeeding Patricia Azzopardi, two weeks after her resignation.

 Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja confirmed this on Monday with a Facebook post. Bugeja Said thanked former director Patricia Azzopardi and congratulated Vella on his new role.

Former Animal Welfare Director Patricia Azzopardi was appointed to the role in 2021 after former Animal Welfare Director, Noel Montebello, vacated the post.

However, she was asked to resign over lack of action on a number of animal abuse cases, MaltaToday revealed in April.

The tipping point seems to have been her lack of action surrounding the pit bull attack on owner Andre Galea, sources close to government said.

At the time, MaltaToday had also revealed that other dogs owned by Galea were left more than 24 hours without food or water after he was hospitalised.

Sources who spoke to this newspaper said Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Welfare Alicia Bugeja Said grew increasingly frustrated with how Azzopardi was dealing with the case.

Sources also said the request for Azzopardi’s resignation will be part of a wider reform for the Animal Welfare Department.

In her Facebook post, Bugeja Said hinted at this work, saying she looks forward to keeping the animal welfare “at the center of the Government's work.”