Poisonous pets could be banned by the end of the year when regulations on the mandatory registration of exotic animals come into force.
The development follows proposals floated earlier this summer suggesting pet owners of venomous animals store antidote as a precautionary measure.
But according to Ivor Robinich, head of secretariat at the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights, the difficulty of ensuring that both the owner and the hospital had antidotes in stock had shifted the thinking towards placing an outright ban on venomous animals as pets.
Antidotes have a short shelf-life and need to be replaced continuously. There is also the risk of the manufacturer not having it in stock when requested, Mr Robinich said.
During a public consultation exercise following the initial proposals, the secretariat was informed there were no poisonous pets in Malta.
Asked about a possible ban on large, non-venomous animals, such as bears, lions and tigers, he said a committee was going to be set up to discuss which animals should be banned and draw up a list of dangerous ones.
The likelihood is that dangerous animals will only be allowed in zoos and not as pets.
Drawing up a list is not easy as there are thousands of species and only one definition so far: under the Dogs Act, a dog that bites or assaults a person is deemed dangerous.
The proposed regulations allow the director to deem any animal as dangerous.
Meanwhile, discussions are under way over whether people who currently own dangerous animals such as alligators and crocodiles would have to give up the animals.
Asked whether they were aware of any such animals, Mr Robinich said they knew of the existence of caiman crocodiles, although they did not know who owned them.
Asked about the importation of spiders and molluscs like slugs, he said that, apart from public safety and animal welfare, the new regulations were meant to protect endemic species. If these species were deemed dangerous to any local ones, they would not be allowed into the country.
Discussions about the new regulations, which will fall under the Animal Welfare Act and the Directorate Veterinary Services, should be concluded by the end of October and published by November.
Exotic animals that are already in Malta need to be registered within 90 days of the publication and the director responsible for veterinary regulations will have to be kept updated about their offspring.
Those who want to import an animal need to first seek his approval, inform him of how it would be tagged (tattoo or chip), and then register it once in Malta.
So far the only control is the need of a passport showing they came through customs and border inspection and were checked by a vet.
Now, details would also need to be provided about the animal’s enclosure, proof the owner is knowledgeable about the rearing of the animal and whether they need a sedative, tranquiliser or any other weapon.
Following consultation with the Police’s Weapons Board, it was decided that, while pet owners could keep a licensed weapon indoors, they could not use it outside in case the animal escaped.
Mr Robinich said in such cases only the police would be able to use a weapon, including tranquiliser guns and tasers, to stop the animal outdoors.
sarah.carabott@timesofmalta.com