There is currently no plan and no solution for lions being kept in poor conditions in Naxxar, animal rights activist and TV personality Moira Delia has said.

Delia, who hosts the programme Animal Diaries on TVM, posted a video on social media following a meeting with the Veterinary Regulations Department (VRD), which she attended alongside activists from Vuċi għall-Annimali, including Althea Galea, Darryl Grima and others.

“We just finished a meeting together with the VRD. We got nowhere. We got nowhere with them, it saddens me to say,” said Delia. “There is no plan! There is no solution!”

She and Galea went on to say activists will holding a demonstration on Tuesday, April 15, outside VRD offices in Marsa at 6pm.

The protest is being organised by Vuċi għall-Annimali and Uniti Per Salvarli Canicattì – ODV, and will be joined by Italian activist Enrico Rizzi. According to the event’s Facebook page, the demonstration is calling for the freedom of the lions in Naxxar, enforcement of animal welfare laws, and action on the situation of abandoned animals in Malta.

Delia added: “If you truly are a voice for animals, join us on Tuesday and really be their voice.”

Tuesday's protest poster Photo: Vuċi għall-Annimali

Their concerns centre on the condition of several lions who were found in a substandard enclosure in Naxxar. 

The animals were reported to authorities by animal rights groups on New Years Eve. Activists said four lions and a leopard were all being held there and allegedly kept without food for several days.

Authorities subsequently told Times of Malta that legal action was being taken against the animals' owner. The animals were not in a poor condition but their enclosure was, a spokesperson for the Animal Rights Ministry added. 

The animals were not confiscated. It remains unclear what "legal action" has been taken against their owner. 

The ministry has since launched an amnesty allowing owners of unregistered exotic animals to register them without facing penalties. 

Authorities say they do not have the ability or space to properly rehome the lions. 

“There is no place inside the country and neither outside that these animals may be kept and cared for by a person who could or would know how to care for these animals ensuring high enough welfare standards for these animals but also ensuring that they are kept from escaping,” a ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta.

The VRD also monitors the animals daily, while the police provide 24/7 oversight. The ministry said this is currently the best possible option.