Some two weeks ago, a large boa snake was found dead, presumably run over by cars at Msida. Last week, a monkey was seen and later captured somewhere near Safi.

Both incidents were reported light-heartedly on the local media. But would we still smile had, for example, the escaped boa managed to find itself in somebody’s home or garden and coiled itself around some terrified child who was caught unawares or around anybody else, for that matter?

And what would have happened had the escaped monkey (monkeys can become quite dangerous) entered some elderly person’s home? While the boa’s owner reported its disappearance, the monkey was, up to the time of writing, still unclaimed by its owner.

Various animals and reptiles alien to our island are being imported to be sold as pets but are these being regulated? What if a pregnant snake or monkey or tarantula spider or iguana were to escape into the open countryside? Malta is such a tiny place that, in no time at all, they will be all around the place.

Remember the Red Palm Weevil, which, in a very short time, destroyed nearly all palm trees on the island? And who has not been stung at least once by the Asian Tiger mosquitoes that recently infested the island?

Are dogs the only animals that are being regulated?