Proper care of animals (1)

I read with interest the editorial Animal Welfare Should Be No Stray Matter (April 24) in which various issues regarding the care of animals in this country were addressed.

The editorial discussed the vital role of NGOs in the care of unwanted animals in Malta and the various challenges faced by them. It also pointed out that, finally, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino has launched the animal welfare project in Ta' Qali whose scope, on its eventual completion, is to offer a home for strays.

I am a firm believer in the importance of the appropriate care of animals. I find it totally abhorrent that cruelty to animals exists in any way, shape or form. We need an organisation supported by the authorities to take care of the strays and other situations linked to animal welfare as this is too important a matter to leave in the hands of voluntary organisations.

Lest I be misinterpreted, I want to make it clear that I have infinite respect for all those individuals who spend time and often their own money in helping unfortunate animals but this is a duty pertaining to the authorities and not to persons who do this work out of the goodness of their heart. NGOs should exist to supplement any organisations set up by the authorities and should not be the only entities there to help animals in need.

Often, people complain about strays, pet owners, dirt left on the pavements by animals etc. These all share one common factor, someone, somewhere, has let an animal down and this has led to situations that cause inconvenience to all. However, it is the actions of those who are disrespectful to animals that must be addressed. In other words, it is the cause of these problems that must be addressed and not simply the results. If the public is not encouraged to neuter pets, clean up after the animals and not leave dogs for days on their own on the roof (for example) just rounding up strays, cleaning up dirt and taking a particular dog off a roof is not going to solve the issue as, within a few days, new strays will be about, dirt will reappear and new dogs will be on rooftops.

Perhaps apart from a centre devoted to strays we need a national campaign aimed at educating all of us on the proper care of our animals. This, hopefully, would nip many of the issues I have mentioned above in the bud. Soon after I wrote the above lines, the news was filled with the atrocities caused to a number of dogs that were being bred allegedly as live food for fighting dogs. This is utterly disgusting. I hope the authorities throw the proverbial book at the culprits.