Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1468438
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MAY 2022 OPINION 11 five words actually tell us, any- way: if not that the whole point behind all these 'public consul- tation exercises', is precisely to create the illusion of 'a gov- ernment that listens'… so that ministers like Anton Refalo can keep getting way with conven- iently ignoring all the things he's supposed to even be listen- ing to, in the first place? For let's face it: there were a lot of other ways Anton Re- falo could have answered that question… had he been gen- uinely interested in supplying any useful information, for a change. For instance, he could have repeated the same answer he gave (once again, to a Mario Galea PQ) back in November 2021: when he revealed that "the department responsible for zoo regulation hired AIS Environment Ltd to conduct a social, environmental and eco- nomic impact assessment of the proposed zoo legislation." At the time, Refalo had even informed us that "the assess- ment is in its final stages"; and that "the report will be present- ed in the coming weeks". But… well, let's just say that the num- ber of weeks that have elapsed since then, is actually around 72: time enough, I should think, for that final report to have been duly concluded, and submitted, as per schedule... And yet, all these months later, there is still no sign of any published 'social, environ- mental and economic impact assessment', either. And this brings me to another small problem with Anton Refalo's non-reply. 'A government that listens'… to whom, exactly? Because it very clearly cannot be to any 'experts' in the field, can it? And it certainly doesn't seem to have been anyone – including AIS Environment Ltd, by the way – who actually participat- ed in that 'public consultation exercise', either... Because even if none of us can realistically confirm what that 'EIA' specifically conclud- ed, last November… we can all take a fairly educated guess, just by glancing at what Euro- pean legislation has to say on the subject of 'zoos'. For instance: according to the European Commission's Zoos Directive – with which, I need hardly add, any legal Maltese zoo would have to comply – an- imals must be accommodated: "under conditions which aim to satisfy the biological and con- servation requirements of the individual species, inter alia, by providing species-specific en- richment of the enclosures." And just to give you a rough idea of what that would ac- tually entail – either for the zoo-keepers themselves; or for Anton Refalo's own govern- ment (if, for argument's sake, it were ultimately forced to take direct responsibility for all those '400 wild animals' it- self)… I'll limit myself only to 'tigers', for now. According to most interna- tionally-accepted standards: "It is recommended that single an- imals should have at least 37m² floor space, and the enclosures should be at least 3.5m high. The minimum space provided should be increased by 50% for each ad- ditional cat in the enclosure…" Bearing in mind that there are at least 64 such animals in the country (that we know about, anyway); and that some of those majestic creatures are being kept in basements… on rooftops… in garages, etc… well, you can just imagine the sort of investment that would be required, to make all those self-styled 'zoos' EU-complaint (just like that, from one day to the next…) And that's before we even get to the whole terraforming part: because 'providing spe- cies-specific enrichment of the enclosures' – and the same principle naturally applies to all those other animals, too - also implies trying to replicate that animal's natural habitat. In a ti- ger's case… that means creating a slice of artificial South-East Asian, tropical RAIN-FOREST, no less… (note: and that's not even the toughest challenge. Take 'mountain lions', for ex- ample. They'd need… um… 'MOUNTAINS', for crying out loud!) And of course, that's not to mention all the other mini- mum requirements that would also have to be met: which in- clude accreditation with the 'European Zoos And Aquaria Association'; employment of qualified zoologists… special- ist veterinarians… experienced animal-handlers… and not least, the inclusion of safety barriers to prevent further 'es- capes', and… well… 'mishaps'… Anyway: I could go on… but there's not much point, really, when we all also know that: a) Anton Refalo himself is surely already aware of all this (he's still sitting on that EIA report, remember?), and b); he has al- ready made it abundantly clear to us that… his is 'a govern- ment that listens', yes. But only to 'zookeepers', nat- urally; and very clearly, to no one else… 'A government that listens'… to whom, exactly? Because it very clearly cannot be to any 'experts' in the field, can it? And it certainly doesn't seem to have been anyone – including AIS Environment Ltd, by the way – who actually participated in that 'public consultation exercise', either...