Environmental NGOs want immediate action against illegal zoo

The environmental NGOS Birdlife Malta, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, Gaia Foundation, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement, Moviment Graffiti, Nature Trust (Malta) and Ramblers Association have requested the Malta Enviornment and Planning Authority and the Animal Welfare Department to take “immediate action” against the illegal zoo at Montekristo Estates.

They are particularly concerned with the welfare of the animals.

“Live animals are suffering while the authorities are dragging their feet,” the NGOS said. “The Montekristo cases of illegalities have been ongoing for far too long and the NGOs feel that, despite electoral manifesto commitments and promises by the relevant authorities to act, nothing tangible is being done while one government after another allows such illegalities to continue and increase.”

They asked how 20 internationally protected wild animals whose trade is banned were “smuggled” into Malta and have called for a thorough investigation.

“It is ludicrous and rather rich that Polidano is blaming MEPA for the animals’ inadequate cages. With 55 enforcement notices (2013 figures), it is obvious that this company feels that it is above the law,” the NGOs said.

“Regardless of the number of generations that wild animals have been in captivity, captive-born wild animals do not lose the instincts and needs of wild animals,” the NGOs said. “Zoos deny captive-born wild animals of the need to exhibit their natural behaviours.”

They have therefore requested the banning of zoos in Malta.

“We do not have the land space and, in some cases, the climate, that such wildlife require,” the NGOs said.

They also criticized Polidano Bros for its “well-known bullying tactics.”

“To add insult to injury, the Montekristo Estate was recently allowed to hold a trade fair, despite all illegalities on its site,” the NGOs added. “It is deplorable that companies and authorities that claim green credentials supported this activity.”

The illegal construction of a zoo on construction magnate Charles Polidano’s Montekristo Estates in Safi was halted by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority on Friday. His company Polidano Bros is to face criminal charges, the Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretariat said last week. The Montekristo Estates Animal Park had already been served with at least two letters of warning by the Veterinary Directorate over the conditions in which its animals are kept.