Updated 12:22pm

Legal action will be taken against those responsible for keeping four lions and a leopard in poor conditions on a Naxxar farm, the Veterinary Regulation Directorate (VRD) said on Monday.  

The exotic animals were discovered in a state of neglect by animal rights group Vuċi għall-Annimali on New Year’s Eve after the organisation was alerted to the plight of a lion being kept in a dark cage. 

Announcing the discovery last week, the group said the animals had also been kept without food for several days. 

In a statement, the VRD said the enclosure housing the animals was not in line with regulations, stressing exotic animals must be kept in an environment that meets their specific needs.  

“Legal action will be pursued against the alleged offenders in accordance with the Veterinary Services Act and the Animal Welfare Act,” the statement read. 

Several people, including the farm’s owner, had been questioned in connection with the case, it said. 

The directorate said it was considering relocating the animals “to suitable facilities that meet all welfare and safety standards,” and was monitoring the Naxxar site “to ensure the animals remain secure and do not pose a threat to public safety”. 

It noted that lions and leopards were considered dangerous animals under the law, with written permission from the director of the VRD required before bringing such animals onto a site. 

The lions and leopard were now being fed and kept in a “clean environment to meet their basic welfare needs... and are generally in good physical condition, although one lion is exhibiting signs of an orthopaedic condition that requires further attention,” the VRD said. 

"Contrary to media reports, no evidence of dead lions was found at the site.”

The VRD falls under the Animal Rights Ministry.

'Plan needed to tackle wild animals in Malta'

In a statement issued shortly afterwards, Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina said an "urgent and effective plan to identify illegal and unregulated wild animals in Malta" was needed and called for a "proactive approach".

"Malta’s limited space and resources make it unsustainable to cater to the needs of such animals, particularly when they are abandoned, since the government does not have the capacity or structure to care for these animals", she said. 

While expressing her "deep concern for the welfare and treatment of these majestic animals," however, Bezzina emphasised the case was not within her remit. 

She said that while she had received "numerous reports and requests for action," she was "not authorised to intervene or act directly" but had made it clear to the directorate that "swift action" was needed.

The commissioner noted that captive wild animals could not be released into the wild due to lacking the necessary survival skills, while sending them to sanctuaries could also pose challenges.

"There are very few sanctuaries available, and these animals would compete with other wildlife in even more dire situations, such as those from war zones, which are in greater need of safe havens," she said.

In 2020, animal rights minister Anton Refalo said just under 400 wild animals were known to be kept in captivity in Malta.

Sixty-four tigers, 20 lions, 11 leopards, and 24 pumas topped the list as the largest populations of wild species in captivity in Malta.