Government to hold public consultation on animal circuses

The government is planning public consultation on the presence of animal circuses in Malta. The end goal is to have a white paper which stipulates whether such circuses should be allowed to continue visiting and operating in Malta or whether these should be banned for good.

In a statement, the parliamentary secretary for animal rights Roderick Galdes said he took note of the concern raised by animal rights NGOs who protest against the presence of animal circuses in Malta, mostly due to what they describe as animal cruelty.

In the coming days, Galdes will be holding a number of consultation meetings with organisations, individuals, NGOs and all interested parties who work in support of animal rights.

"The idea is to have a white paper to regulate the sector and eventually lead to a final decision as to whether Malta should ban animal circuses or not," Galdes said.