The police Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) section raided a farm in Mizieb yesterday morning rescuing a number of animals from their pitiful state, despite the owner's protests.

Four horses, a Dalmatian, a boxer, a fox terrier and four puppies were seized after the owner refused to heed several warnings to improve the animals' welfare and upgrade the farm's pitiful state of abandonment.

Noah's Ark, an animal welfare organisation, first reported the matter in 2004 and, while the authorities have tried to intervene time and time again, even taking a few of the animals, the state of neglect remained.

"This is an animal concentration camp. It's a sorry excuse for a farm and something has to be done to rescue the animals from their misery," Noah's Ark founder Fabio Ciappara said.

The police unit, led by Inspector Alex Miruzzi, and accompanied by vet Duncan Chetcuti Ganado, arrived at the farm about 8.30 a.m. after receiving numerous reports.

The owner got so upset with the situation that he started to threaten the police and had to be removed from the area under arrest, while the animals were taken away.

One of the horses waited patiently in a field, with a corrugated metal sheet providing the only shelter from the scorching sun. It later joined the three other horses and was taken to an animal sanctuary.

Two abandoned cars were parked in the adjacent field and plenty of junk, scraps of metal, and old glass bottles littered the area.

"We have been trying to get him to improve the situation, but to no avail. The animals cannot live in these primitive conditions. Most of them don't have water and those that do have to settle for stagnant water," Dr Chetcuti Ganado said. As he inspected the pens, he pointed to a tattered green rag saying it was the farmer's sorry response to repeated orders to provide shelter.

"Animal welfare is not just a matter of ensuring they are fed. You have to see what you are going to feed the animal, where it sleeps, and the overall quality of life. This place does not provide proper ventilation, shelter or flooring," he added.

Dr Chetcuti Ganado said the animals that had been taken away were in a bad state, in a poor body condition, while the dogs were full of ticks, in a bad condition, and starved.

Mr Ciappara said that some time ago Noah's Ark volunteers used to go to the farm every day to care for the animals and feed them, but after a while the owner kicked them out because he felt they were wasting a lot of water.

"The other day one of the puppies died and I buried it. The owner's reaction was that I should have left it there as food for the big dogs. Here, whichever animal dies is left on the spot rotting," Mr Ciappara said.

Noah's Ark, which has been monitored the situation for years, said it's not the first time that the owner hurled a plastic bag of bread on the roof for the dogs, who stood around in their urine and faeces.

In his father's defence, Hubert Vella, who yesterday morning rushed to the farm to see what was happening, said the animals were not in a bad state.

"They're picking on my father. This is all clowning about. My father even took in a handicapped horse because she was going to be put down. Is that cruelty to animals," Mr Vella said.

When asked why his father was refusing to heed the warnings, Mr Vella said his father was doing things gradually because everything cost money.

"My father told the volunteers to stop coming because they were wasting too much water to wash the floors and, given the surcharge, you have to be careful," he said.

Mr Vella added it was not the first time a few of their animals had been stolen and he was suspecting that there could be some plot against his father to bring him down.