The tiger incident at the Montekristo Animal Park highlighted the need for better health and safety standards across the country, the zoo’s management said.

Jean Paul Sammut, Montekristo Estates CEO, yesterday drew comparisons between the zoo incident, which saw a three-year-old boy sustain facial injuries after a tiger lashed out at him, and the Paqpaqli motor show at which 26 people were injured when a supercar went out of control and crashed into a crowd of spectators last month.

“Yes, we definitely need higher standards of health and safety in this country. We have seen this with the [Paqpaqli] accident and now this at the animal park too. You could say this has opened a Pandora’s box,” Dr Sammut said.

The Ħal-Farruġ zoo was closed to the public by its owners yesterday as a magisterial inquiry investigated the incident, which happened on Saturday afternoon.

The boy was badly injured in the face and head and underwent surgery on Saturday night after the “friendly” tiger, which had been taken out of its enclosure by handlers, clawed him as he tried to get a closer look.

Dr Sammut described the incident as an “unfortunate” one saying it was “definitely not the animal’s fault”.

“It’s like when a dog jumps up to greet you; it was not aggressive. Unfortunately, the tiger’s claw grazed his face,” Dr Sammut said, adding that had the tiger intended to harm the boy, the injuries would have been much more serious.

The Sunday Times of Malta reported yesterday that the tiger was taken out of its cage on a leash because it was sick. Asked why this had been done while the park was open to the public, Dr Sammut acknowledged that this was a shortcoming on the handlers’ part.

Everyone is wise after the event and hindsight is 20/20

“Yes, that should not have been done but everyone is wise after the event and hindsight is 20/20,” he said, adding that he had been in regular contact with the boy’s family.

Dr Sammut said the handlers had been looking after the tiger since its infancy and had always exhibited a good level of control over it. He could not say, when asked, what qualifications or training they had received.

Montekristo Estates, owned by the Polidano Group, is not covered by permits and has been slapped with several enforcement notices. Dr Sammut, however, said the zoo was regularly inspected by the Animal Welfare Department and any irregularities, mostly related to cage sizes, had been addressed.

In a statement, the government said it was taking the incident “very seriously”.

It said it had taken action since the zoo was operating illegally. While the animals had been transferred to suitable cages, the owners were incurring a daily fine because of the current structures.

The government said it had also issued a legal notice which stipulated that no exotic animals could be imported without the necessary permits. It urged the police to investigate the case and take the necessary action against those responsible.

Questions sent to Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes remained unanswered at the time of writing.