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.

Up to 3,000 reports were filed yearly, mostly about the conditions animals were kept in

Mr Buhagiar, who was appointed commissioner last November, said he believed education and prosecution were the solutions to the problem of animal abuse.

He said his priority was raising awareness, although he did believe the number of annual reports filed reflected an increase in awareness over the past six years.

Meanwhile, cases of cruelty decreased. In the last five years the department was responsible for prosecuting more than 70 cases of animal cruelty. Around 50 of these were in the first four years, the commissioner said.

Yet only last month, two cases made news headlines, showing that animal cruelty remained a problem. Animal welfare officers found a 10-year-old dog in Ħandaq abandoned in a white flour sack, with its head in another bag.

In another case, a video shared by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) went viral on social media. It showed a man from Mosta repeatedly whipping a horse in the face while it was confined in a stable and could not escape the beating.

Following widespread exposure of the cruelty, the Animal Rights Secretariat said the case was being investigated by the police but nothing has been heard so far on the outcome of those investigations.

Last September, a horse was set on fire by its owner, apparently for not winning a race. It was just one of at least six shocking cases of animal cruelty encountered by officers from the animal welfare department last year.

Since November, Malta has raised its penalties for those caught mistreating animals. On first conviction, the accused is liable to a fine of up to €55,000, imprisonment for not more than three years or both. If they are caught again, the penalty goes up to a maximum of €80,000.

The topic ‘Do the Maltese really love animals?’ will be discussed on tonight’s edition of Times Talkon TVM at 6.45am.