Circus owner Mario Sali yesterday locked himself up in a cage with two large tigers to protest at the planning authority’s order to dismantle his operation in Naxxar.
Mr Sali entered the circular cage at 2pm with the two tigers,one of which was a 300kg male Siberian tiger.
After threatening to sleep in the cage with the animals, he suspended the protest at 7pm when a spokesman for the Maltese promoter said talks would be held with the planning authority this morning. The circus also plans to put its structures up again today.
The Italian owner of Circo Fantasy claimed he had police, veterinary and local council permits to run the circus in Naxxar until January 6.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority on Tuesday ordered the circus to stop operating after its 30-day permit expired and gave the owner 16 days to leave.
Most of the circus structures had been pulled down by 4pm yesterday and the animals loaded into the trucks, apart from the tigers and cage where Mr Sali conducted his protest.
From behind bars, Mr Sali said it made no sense to be allowed to stay on for 16 more days without operating, adding there must be a misunderstanding.
Praising the Maltese for their hospitality, he said: “If there is a fine to pay, we will pay it but all we want is the right to work.”
As time passed the Siberian tiger got visibly nervous, stepping off a metal stand and walking round the cage. Each time, Mr Sali, holding a metal rod, went over to the tiger and firmly talked it back onto the stand.
The police were on site and planning authority officials conducted an inspection accompanied by architect Mark Camilleri, a representative of circus promoter Silvio Zammit.
Mr Camilleri said the circus owner could not simply load all animals and leave because the ship was not operating. The planning law regulating circuses was “ambiguous”, he said, because it did not address situations like this.
He also noted that Mr Sali had other permits allowing him to continue operating until January 6. “We are asking the authorities for a different interpretation of the law.”
A spokesman for Mr Zammit said the circus had abided by the law and dismantled all structures after the 30 days had elapsed.
“However, the law does not say you cannot re-assemble them at a later stage. The structures will be put up again tomorrow (today) at noon. We have all authorisations, including the VAT department permit, to operate until January 6. For some reason, it was only now that Mepa decided to apply this law,” the spokesman said.
The Animal Rights Coalition last night said it would create a dangerous precedent to allow the circus to re-open.
“Just because people protest, laws and policies can’t be forgotten or pushed aside in a modern democratic society,” it said.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com