The Mtaħleb Wildlife Park, destroyed in a fire last October, is set to reopen its doors next month.
Owner Chris Borg said that after the fire, he was determined to rebuild the park “better than ever”, and this was one of his resolutions for the new year.
In October, a major fire broke out at the Mtaħleb park and destroyed Mr Borg’s family home, as well as the spaces that housed the animals.
Two leopards, a lemur, an emu and a number of monkeys and birds were killed when the blaze spread quickly.
It took firefighters some three hours to bring the fire under control.
Mr Borg, his wife and two children were asleep when the fire broke out. They managed to make it out of the house safely, only receiving treatment for shock.
Among the casualties was Mr Borg’s favourite animal, a leopard he named Buddy, as he considered him one of the family.
“From the very first day following the fire, I was determined to build the park better than ever. Three months after the ordeal, the wildlife zoo park is taking shape,” he said.
The cages are now built from stone instead of wood.
Mr Borg said he was overwhelmed by the support he and his family received in the aftermath of the fire, at a very delicate and difficult time. “Donations came in from all over the world. People were turning up to help put us back on our feet.
“Our family and friends also contributed to help us. People we helped in the past returned the favour. They left me speechless. The amount of positive vibes that this brought us is unexplainable,” he said.
Mr Borg added that all the donations received would, over time, be passed on to people who were poor or in need.
The wildlife park, which Mr Borg plans to reopen to the public next month, has launched a campaign whereby people can adopt one of the animals by making a donation and get free access to the park and photo opportunities with their adopted animal in return.
The park has launched a campaign whereby people can adopt one of the animals by making a donation.
In October, a fire broke out at the park and destroyed Mr Borg’s family home and the spaces that housed the animals.