Government attitude to San Anton cats

Following an e-mail sent on behalf of numerous animal protection organisations, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has replied through a letter which seems more like a public relations exercise of the Environmental Landscapes Consortium than a letter from the government.

The letter "explains" that some cats were removed from San Anton Gardens to "reduce" the cat population and to reduce the "damage to plants". The private secretary to the Prime Minister, Remigio Bartolo (or is it the ELC?) assures us that the cats taken to Wied Incita nursery are cared for and fed by loving workers (as if this is enough - what about balanced food, veterinary care etc, matters that were seen to by the carers at San Anton Gardens).

Mr Bartolo continues by saying that he has "been assured by the ELC that no cats have been killed or treated badly" (as if the ELC would tell him otherwise!) and that "no other cats have been removed from any other gardens or sites under their control" (so what happened to the Barrakka cats, for instance?).

He also "assures" us that the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment has written to the ELC so as to ensure that, in future, the ELC informs the government and seeks its permission before proceeding with any such initiatives (so the government acknowledges that the ELC has acted illegally. And what's the sanction? You guessed it. Nothing!).

He then concludes by saying that the government is fully committed towards improving animal welfare and cites the setting up of the first Animal Welfare Council (AWC) as proof of this. No matter that the AWC has no say in matters of importance such as this instance.

Apparently the AWC is just a public relations exercise so that people will think that the government is actually doing something for the animals. The fact is that the AWC is only there to do the government's work and is not consulted in things that really matter. It is an eye-opener, for example, that no mention is made in the letter of any planned meeting with the AWC to discuss this issue and make recommendations, as stipulated in the Animal Welfare Act!