Watch: CCTV shows big cat that activists say is a young panther in Cospicua

Updated 8.17pm

A large feline, believed by activists to be a black panther, was caught on CCTV falling from a building in Cospicua on Tuesday afternoon.

Footage shared with Times of Malta by animal rights group Vuċi għall-Annimali appears to show the dark-coloured cat on Triq Dom Mintoff, near Date Art Café and behind the American University of Malta (AUM) campus, before fleeing up a nearby stairway.

The Office of the Commissioner for Animal Welfare continued to insist that “no wild cat is on the loose”, repeating what it had said on Wednesday.

Experts consulted by the activists said that, based on the video, the animal appears to be either a panther or a leopard and is likely between four and six months old.

If confirmed, this would mean the animal was born after the May deadline for registering unlicensed dangerous animals under the government’s amnesty scheme.

They called for a full and transparent investigation by the Environmental Protection Unit and the confiscation of the animal. They further urged for DNA analysis to be carried out on the feline to identify where it came from.

A spokesperson for the animal rights minister told Times of Malta "there is an ongoing investigation" but was not in a position to confirm whether the animal has been captured. 

A waiter who works at Date Art Cafe, Ishwor Pokhrel, informed Times of Malta that he was standing around 50 metres from the animal which fell from a building about two- to three-storeys high.

"At first, I just thought it was a normal domestic cat, but then someone came down shouting, asking people, 'Did you see that panther?'. From his reaction, it made me consider that it might've been a panther," he said.

Thinking back to the incident, Pokhrel said that the animal did not move like a domestic cat, but it moved more "clever" than a domestic cat.

He also said that the cat seemed injured and dazed after falling from a height, and then escaped up a staircase, which lines up with what is shown in the CCTV footage.

Another person who wished to remain anonymous and also saw the cat is certain that it was a feline.

Police confirmed that a report about the animal was filed on Tuesday, February 17. The person who made the report said they “thought it might be a jaguar or a panther”, adding that the animal jumped down into the street. 

A police report was filed on Tuesday after members of the public saw the animal. Photo: CCTV

This incident came to public attention when Terry Muscat posted on Facebook that she had spoken to a person who lives in Cospicua who had spotted a wild black cat on their roof.

Dangerous wild cats cannot be legally acquired or imported to be kept as private household pets in Malta.

Since the implementation of stricter regulations in 2016 and subsequent updates in 2025, it is illegal for individuals to keep dangerous exotic animals unless they are held in a specifically licensed zoo or were already registered during amnesty periods.

Last year, a 90-day amnesty was granted for owners of previously unregistered dangerous animals to register them.

In a statement, Momentum expressed “serious concern”, urging for “clarity not confusion”.

The party called on relevant authorities to issue a “clear, public statement” on whether any dangerous animal may be at large and “provide reassurance” that there is no risk to residents.

They have also asked what monitoring or patrol measures are currently in place.

“Parents, educators and residents in the Cottonera area should not be left relying on social media speculation to understand whether their communities are safe.”

Momentum insisted that enforcement “must be uncompromising” if investigations confirm that the animal originated from illegal private ownership.

“Keeping wild animals in completely inadequate spaces is both cruel and a direct threat to public safety.”

Referring to a recent case of a distressed chimpanzee reportedly seen by Momentum in Swieqi, the party called for a positive list of species permitted in Malta, and prohibiting all others by default.

They also insisted on “mandatory, unannounced” inspections of zoos, private collections and wildlife parks as well as “greater transparency” in the licensing process for exotic animals.