The lion is no king of the jungle at Montekristo animal park.

An NGO has labelled as “ludicrous” Polidano Brothers’ decision to blame the planning authority for the poor conditions in which animals are being kept at the illegal Montekristo animal park.

Friends of the Earth’s comment was echoed by Flimkien għal Ambjent Ahjar and Alternattiva Demokratika who insisted that Polidano Brothers should observe the same rules everyone else is obliged to follow.

Times of Malta revealed yesterday that 61 species being exhibited at the zoo at Montekristo Estates are internationally protected and require certificates or proof of legal acquisition before entering the country.

Yet, Mepa was not informed of their importation and all the necessary documents have still not been handed to the authority.

The species are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The aim of CITES is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals does not threaten their survival.

Polidano Brothers are trying to turn the tables on Mepa, blaming the planning authority for their own illegalities

Reports on the poor conditions in which the animals are being kept elicited a reaction from Polidano Brothers who blamed Mepa for procrastinating on its application for permits.

Polidano Brothers insist it is up to the authorities to issue permits to ensure the animals are kept in good condition.

Reacting, Friends of the Earth said, “Polidano group are well known for their questionable ways of getting what they want by bullying tactics. In this latest episode it is a number of exotic species that are bearing the brunt of their scheming… a thorough investigation on who smuggled them in should be held before any permit process is started.

“It is ludicrous and rather rich that the Polidanos are blaming the authorities for the state in which the animals are in. With 55 enforcement notices (2013 figures), a handful of which are related to this particular site, this company either has no clue on permitting processes or else thinks it has its own way of doing things,” Friends of the Earth said.

FAA said Polidano Brothers should not have imported the exotic animals without the necessary documentation, and it should have never set up the animal park before the required permits were in hand.

“It is shocking that Polidano Brothers imported these animals without the necessary certificates and they are allowed to keep them in illegal structures and sub-standard conditions. These permits should have been acquired before the animal park opened. These are the conditions everyone else is obliged to follow,” Astrid Vella said.

Alternattiva said the illegal zoo at Montekristo Estates encapsulates all that is wrong with the planning authority, saying the authority should have acted ages ago, “but Mepa rarely acts against the big fish”.

The animal park is subject to an enforcement notice issued in 2008. Last year, the court stopped Mepa from demolishing the illegal structures on site.