Construction magnate Carmel Polidano, known as iċ-Ċaqnu, this morning pleaded not guilty of negligence after a five-year-old boy was hit and injured by a tiger at his controversial Montekristo Zoo.

The boy had been at the unlicensed animal park with his grandfather on a Sunday afternoon in November 2015 when a tiger lashed out at the boy despite being held on a leash by handlers.

The boy suffered lacerations to his face and head and underwent emergency intervention.

Mr Polidano was also charged with running an unlicensed animal park and keeping wild animals that were not allowed in Malta. He was also charged with relapsing.

Handlers Michael Mercieca and Muhammad Saleen were also charged with negligence, with both men pleading not guilty.

Police inspectors Kylie Borg and Chantelle Casha prosecuted. The case heard in front of Magistrate Joe Mifsud will continue on October 10.

The unlicensed zoo has clogged the headlines for several months as the animal park at Montekristo Estates continued operating despite not having a license.

Montekristo Estates is owned by the Polidano Group and the vast expanse of land at Ħal Farruġ is riddled with illegal development.

The animal park, which has over the years been slapped with several enforcement notices, hosts some 60 species that benefit from international protection under Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

 

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