The animal aftercare centre in Ta' Qali is set to start providing rehabilitation care for strays and pets by 2010.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, who visited the €300,000 centre, still under construction, yesterday, said the place, which he stressed was not an animal sanctuary, will able to cater for up to 50 animals at one time.

He explained that strays will only be kept there for as long as they required care and recovery, before being relocated to an animal sanctuary. The project will be the answer to the prayers of animal organisations that are stretched to the limit as the number of abandoned and maltreated animals ceases to abate.

Works on the centre began in the first week of October and once completed it will serve two functions: taking in injured strays and providing them with care and rehabilitation as well as treating pets requiring rehabilitation due to medical attention or injury. A nominal fee will be charged, Mr Pullicino said, for care provided to pets, and the money will go towards covering part of the centre's running costs.

The centre will not subsist entirely on fees charged to animal owners and it will be partially funded by the government. Mr Pullicino did not elaborate on how much it would cost to run the place on an annual basis.

The centre will feature an isolation room, an exotic animal ward, a kennel area and a waste management area to process the waste produced by the centre and the animals cared for. The centre will be manned by paid staff members, Mr Pullicino said.

The building itself will be the first of its kind in Malta and will blend into the landscape of the area, according to the centre's architect.

The centre will be sunk into the ground and roofed with turf and vegetation. Insulation will muffle the sounds of animals and protect the centre from weather extremes.