Massive weasel sculpture proposed for Ta' Qali garden
The weasel will be four metres long and 3.5 metres tall
A clay statue of a weasel (ballottra), measuring four by three-and-a-half metres, is being proposed for the Ta' Qali Formal Garden.
The Public Works Department, through architect Justin Schembri, has filed a planning application for the installation of the sculpture, which would measure four metres in length and 3.5 metres in height (PA 208/26).
The applicants are proposing that the structure be placed within the Formal Garden, on the grass behind the Greek Theatre. The site is located outside the development zone.
The ballottra is a rare, protected and endangered species.
Nature Trust Malta describes weasels as rather long and slender, with short limbs, a long neck and a small head. It has reddish ginger fur with a white belly, which is not always visible during the summer months.
The ballottra is the smallest carnivorous mammal in Malta and preys on rodents, rabbits and nestlings.
Ta’ Qali was previously home to a giant statue of a stray cat.