Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541680
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 NOVEMBER 2025 INTERVIEW The following are excerpts from the interview. The full interview can be found on maltatoday. com.mt as well as our Facebook and Spotify pages. PHOTOS: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTA TODAY This is a sector with very impas- sioned people. You take over from an animal commissioner who was very outspoken on a number of issues concerning animal welfare. What style will you adopt during your tenure? I want to be remembered as a mediator who was able to produce results. While being an activist has its plusses, and I do have that streak in me, I believe the different parties need to come together for a single goal. If you have the activists, the NGOs, the sanctuaries, the feeders, the volunteers, the breeders on one side, you have the authorities on the other. The laws need to be enacted by parliament, and so my role is that of a mediator that is able to achieve results on the longer term. You're almost an animal lawyer… Yes, and I have to say the commissioner's role should not be taken for granted as when you look at EU states which have an animal commissioner, it's only a few. There is weight being given to animal welfare in the country. Last year we saw government in- troduce legislation which regu- lated zoos better, with limits on cub petting, and the law outlining better what they are and aren't al- lowed to do. As commissioner, how do you feel about zoos? Do they still serve a purpose in 2025? I personally don't go to zoos. I remember when I was young my parents took me to Chester Zoo, as we had never seen those kinds of animals. But I don't go to zoos. With regards to my perspective on zoos, I must say since you mentioned the law has been amended, the standards have been raised and the guidelines are clear. On animal captivity there is European law we have to adhere to. Also, without sounding like I am advocating for wild animals to be raised in cages or substandard conditions, research shows that if you release an exotic animal bred in captivity, they will not survive 99.9% of the times. But can we not carry out a phasing out process? Honestly, the zoos are there and I will continue assessing them, but with regards to phasing out, we have to look at what we are saying. Are we saying we shut zoos down immediately or are we saying let's look at the present conditions, improve them, and the animals left there are not replaced [when they die]? What about the Mediterraneo Marine Park? It is a zoo, but I personally at least, cannot un- derstand how we are allowing dolphins to perform somersaults or seals to balance balls on their nose. Coupling this with different allegations levelled against the establishment, how do you feel about it? As I said, anything related to zoos, I do not attend. There are certain aspects to what Mediterraneo Marine Park that seem to be educational, so that has to be taken into perspective. There is also an ongoing investigation into the establishment. Before I speak on the current situation, I have to await the investigation's conclusions. What I want to clarify is whatever the conditions, animals need to live in environments which are good for them, and in line with EU standards to ensure their wellbeing. Now, I know you will tell me the best place for their well-being is in the sea, but I am not the one who owns the park. Hunting and trapping are embed- ded in Maltese culture, and go be- yond just being a hobby. I am not going to ask you about hunting, because you effectively shoot and kill the bird. But what about trap- ping, how do you feel about it? I personally am not a hunter or trapper, and so at face value from my personal standpoint, even sometimes seeing a bird in a cage makes me question why it is there. But, then again this is the lawyer in me talking—the EU laws are what they are. I know there was a European Commission opinion on the issue recently. But I personally am not a trapper or a hunter. The cat abandonment problem is one we are well aware of. Despite cat neutering campaigns, despite tracking of colonies by dedicat- ed people the numbers are what they are. Is it the time for harsher measures, like for example, eutha- nising stray cats? Honestly, if they do not need to be neutered, I don't see the reason why. I don't agree with euthanising animals without a valid reason. It's not their fault they ended up on the street. But someone would point out that close to rural areas, aban- doned and feral cats could have an impact on the area's ecology like lizards and birds. That could be a very valid reason… But, then again, if they are healthy, there is no medical reason to euthanise them. I personally do not see a reason for it. What I would do is continue the ongoing campaigns like supporting feeders and everyone involved, but I do not see euthanising them as the answer.