Delays in rescuing injured strays increasing Gozo animal deaths

Animal lovers are up in arms over the authorities’ apparent inertia in getting a fully-fledged animal welfare department up and running on the sister island.

Though talks to set up a department covering the island of Gozo have been going on since 2006, nothing has so far materialised. Meanwhile, volunteers are finding it problematic to pick up strays – especially the injured ones – as a veterinary service subsidised by the government has also been stopped.

Although a voluntary animal organisation is present on the island, its sanctuary can only handle 10 dogs at any one go. 

MaltaToday is informed that the current administration has provided an ambulance and has committed itself to launching a call for officers – a call which so far has not yet been made. 

According to sources, a search is also underway in an attempt to find a suitable location for an animal sanctuary. 

Over the past two to three years, the burden of responding to calls and picking up stray or injured animals has fallen on one woman who is always ready to drop whatever she’s doing to go and assist, be it night or day.

“There was a time where I would just grab my car and go. I would take the cat or dog home, give it food and shelter and then try to rehome it,” Heidi Grech, 37, told MaltaToday.

Grech is not a vet or an animal welfare officer but she does it out of her own love for the animals. Responding to emergencies has become less problematic since the current administration provided an ambulance, but it’s still not easy chasing an injured stray alone.

“You need more than one person to handle an animal if the cat or dog is injured, in pain and frightened.”

To make matters worse, a veterinary service subsidised by Malta’s Animal Welfare Department was recently stopped. Grech must now rely on the animal welfare officers in Malta. 

It is estimated that 75% of injured animals in Gozo end up dying due to the lack of immediate care by a vet. 

“Truth be told, the welfare officers in Malta are very helpful and they do their utmost to reach Gozo at their earliest. But the reality is that it is becoming very difficult to save an injured cat or dog if they have to cross the channel to get to it.”

Taking the ambulance to Gozo also means that the service is one ambulance down, creating a backlog in Malta. 

Questions sent to the Ministry for Gozo and the parliamentary secretariat for animal rights remained unanswered by the time the article went to print.