Animal welfare director to investigate state of police stables

The director for animal welfare, Joseph Vella, has confirmed with MaltaToday that his department will be launching its own investigation of the stables housing the Maltese mounted police force's horses.

A shocking footage of the state of the mounted police section, broadcasted on Wednesday evening on TX, revealed a deleterious environment for police horses in stables that appear in urgent need of structural care, and most pressingly, the extermination of vermin.

"The structural conditions of the stables do not concern us, but we are going to look into the allegations that horses are not in a good state. They appear severely malnourished, to go by the footage," Vella said.

"The other concern is that there is no proper pest control programme, which was evident from the presence of rates. It is important that as much as possible the stables are disease-free, both for the horses and for public health reasons."

The footage has revealed a dilapidated environment for the horses that are the pride of the mounted police force, infested with rats which have littered the stables and the recreational area for officers, with their droppings. Rats can be a common sight around such beasts, but little attention seems to be devoted to curb the spread of possible disease or infection from their droppings.

The officers' mess appears in a shambles, with old fixtures and furniture, and even a dirty kitchen that is not spared by the presence of rat droppings.

The visible structural damage, evident in the cracks that run across the walls, are in need of urgent attention. Old lighting fixtures and electrical wiring only compound the sense of risk that these stables seem to convey.

Animal lovers and animal rights activists will no doubt be taken aback by the shots of two horses, retired due to their age, in an allegedly unhealthy state. One of them struggles to stand up, but is clearly not being tended to properly: according to TX, mounted police officers have had to be recalled on other pressing duties during the summer days.