The commissioner for animal rights has launched an investigation into the death of a number of ducks after a privately commissioned report contradicted the findings of the state veterinarian.
Earlier this month, a large number of ducks died in the Salina canals, leading the Veterinary Regulation Directorate to intervene and remove the rest from the area.
The directorate said the ducks were infected with avian flu and salmonella and could pose a threat to other wildlife in the area as well as the local food chain due to the possibility of transmission of disease through poultry.
However, a private report commissioned to investigate the cause of death of the ducks did not find avian flu or salmonella in the animals tested.
The private report, authored by veterinarian Catherine Portelli, said there were no signs of respiratory diseases in the ducks and that it was likely they died of poisoning or gastrointestinal disease. However, the conclusion is subject to the outcome of further toxicological tests, which are ongoing.
“I am investigating this case because the Veterinary Regulation Directorate’s report did not convince me,” Animal Rights Commissioner Dennis Montebello told Times of Malta.
“Avian flu lives in most wild fowl because they act as hosts but it is rarely the kind that can kill or infect on a large scale.
“The specific strains that will cause the fowl to die were not found, so it merits further investigation,” he added.
Joseph Schembri, who has taken care of the ducks for over 10 years, said the animals were dying painful and elongated deaths.
“It takes an excruciating two to five days for the ducks to die. They slowly lose power, first in their legs and then they have no energy to lift their heads up to drink. They do not eat and they just lie there with their mouth wide open gasping for breath,” he said.
“It is excruciating to watch these beautiful birds in so much pain. It breaks my heart,” he said.
Schembri claims that works on the other side of the canal had blocked an opening from where fresh water would enter and circulate through the habitat. He believes this caused the water to stagnate.
Times of Malta reached out to the Ministry for Agriculture, under which the Veterinary Regulation Directorate falls, for comment but no replies were forthcoming at the time of writing.