The Animal Welfare Department has a backlog of over 300 reports of animal abuse that have not yet been investigated, according to the Animal Rights Secretariat.

Times of Malta asked for an updated figure on the backlog of animal abuse reports awaiting investigation by the department after a series of recent reports highlighting animal cruelty on the island.

The secretariat said this figure changed “daily” due to new reports and cases closed. The number includes duplicate reports made on the same case and others that cannot be concluded immediately due to follow-ups needed after the first inspection, a spokesman added.

Up to 3,000 reports were filed yearly, mostly about the conditions animals were kept in, Animal Welfare Commissioner Emanuel Buhagiar told The Sunday Times of Malta earlier this month.

Read more on Times of Malta.

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