Poor conditions at a government quarantine facility, inadequate procedures and bad weather contributed to the death of 490 song birds while they were being held by the Directorate for Veterinary Services in November last year, according to a report tabled in Parliament today.
The Commissioner for Animal Welfare, Emanuel Buhagiar, said that on October 24 last year, the police seized 645 songbirds which had been illegally imported from Sicily. The birds were being transported in poor conditions.
The birds were transferred to the quarantine facility where they were considered as court exhibits.
Several birds died every day. Between October 25 and November 17, 490 birds died.
The Commissioner said there were several reasons for the deaths, some of which were preventable and others were unavoidable.
Among them was the fact that the birds had been transported in poor conditions and some were weak on arrival.
The temporary aviaries at the quarantine facility were small and unsuitable for such a large number of birds. There was insufficient shelter and many birds died because of bad weather.
The birds had been given sufficient food and drink.
The Commissioner in his recommendations said the practice where animals that were considered as court exhibits were taken to the quarantine facility needed to be changed.
The purpose of quarantine was to hold animals suspected of carrying disease or which had not been vaccinated. It was wrong to mix healthy animals with animals (or birds) which needed to be quarantined.
The Commissioner recommended legal amendments to make sure that animals considered as court exhibits were well cared for.
Illegally imported birds should be freed as soon as possible after the necessary investigations. Alternatively, they should be kept in a proper place – even privately owned. The accused should be billed for their upkeep, he said.
The report was tabled by Environment Minister Leo Brincat at the request of Nationalist MP Mario Galea.