Animals in captivity

In his letter of February 27, Noel Farrugia declares his support for animal welfare initiatives but at the same time shows his disappointment that 14 Shetland ponies, exotic animals and a wide selection of farm and domestic animals, which were part of...

In his letter of February 27, Noel Farrugia declares his support for animal welfare initiatives but at the same time shows his disappointment that 14 Shetland ponies, exotic animals and a wide selection of farm and domestic animals, which were part of the Hands-on Farming project, had been removed from the National Agriculture Centre.

I cannot understand how anyone who has animal welfare at heart can support the enclosure of Shetland ponies and exotic animals in enclosed spaces or cages!

I remember I had attended an open day at the National Agriculture Centre when this practice was still going on and was astounded at seeing a number of exotic animals in captivity.

I am all in favour of educational projects that promote animal welfare among children and, as a teacher, I myself work on such initiatives, but such projects should in no way create hardship for animals as is the case with animals held in captivity in a habitat that is completely alien to them.

Unfortunately, the practice of keeping animals for display purposes among schoolchildren still goes on at the animal husbandry section at Ghammieri and it is even advertised on the website of the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment!

I think a number of people need to rethink their philosophy on animal welfare before claiming their support for it.

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