Hundreds of reports of animals being exposed to the elements without adequate shelter have been filed, prompting the authorities to draw up new regulations.
The draft rules have been submitted to the government for its consideration.
Animal Welfare director Noel Montebello said that he received more than 1,000 reports of animal cruelty every year, almost all related to animals being left outdoors for long periods of time without any protection.
The spike in reports, he said, normally started around June and kept climbing as temperatures rose throughout the sweltering summer months. This year was no exception.
“We are getting reports and complaints every single day, be it about cabby horses, dogs on roofs or cats kept on balconies. Our inspectors are constantly following up on these calls all over the island,” Mr Montebello said.
Complaints of animal cruelty exploded on social media on Monday when an Alaskan malamute fell to its death from the roof of a four-storey building in Birkirkara.
Photos of the dog lying dead in the street were posted on Facebook yesterday, further fuelling the public outrage.
Neighbours said that the dog used to be kept on a small patch of its owner’s roof for days on end. It died when it fell off a narrow wall as it was trying to seek some shade.
Sources said the owner was expected to be arraigned in the coming days.
We are getting reports and complaints every single day
Animal Welfare inspectors who spoke to this newspaper said this was not an isolated case. Another dog was recently found dead during an inspection. It appeared that the animal, which was also on a roof exposed to the sun, had tried to seek shelter but fell off a wall and suffocated when the chain he was tied with got caught.
Animal Welfare Commissioner Emanuel Buhagiar said: “Enough is enough. We need to start taking this matter more seriously. This is why I have taken it upon myself to draft regulations on how animals should be kept,” he said.
Mr Buhagiar, a former police officer and animal welfare inspector, said the Animal Welfare Act outlawed negligence but was too vague on what qualified as maltreatment of animals.
“The law needs to make it clear that animals can’t be left in the sun – that they need shelter and water. This should be common sense, but unless it’s included in the law people will not do it,” he said.
Speaking between calls with reports of other animals being exposed to the scorching sun, Mr Buhagiar said he had submitted his recommendations to Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri.
Mr Buhagiar said that he too received about 400 reports every year, most about animals being left in the sun.
“We get calls, people show up at the office, and we even get anonymous letters.
“This is something people are very concerned about,” he said, adding that he had recently received a petition on the subject, signed by 15,000 people.