A puma and a black panther attacked a dog in a family home in Għajnsielem, with their owners under investigation for allegedly lacking the appropriate documentation to keep the animals. 

Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo confirmed in Parliament on Monday that a dog had been attacked in Għajnsielem in a home where exotic animals are being kept and that an investigation into the incident is ongoing. 

The police also confirmed with Times of Malta that the Animal Welfare department had requested their assistance with “alleged irregularities regarding possession of exotic animals in Għajnsielem”.

Sources familiar with the case say the owner of the two wild animals is being investigated for not having the appropriate permits to keep the animals in the home. It is understood that an investigation was triggered after the owners of the wildcats, who also own the injured dog, took the dog to a veterinarian with suspicious injuries. 

Upon their arrival, officials discovered the puma and the panther living in the Għajnsielem residence. 

The regulations on the keeping of dangerous animals say that wild animals as listed in legislation can only be kept in an appropriately licensed zoo. According to the list currently available on the Agricultural Ministry’s website, this includes all wild cats, with some exceptions for smaller species of wild cats.

The sources added that the two wild cats have officially been confiscated, but have been left where they were found as the Animal Welfare Department does not have the appropriate facilities to house the animals. 

In November, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed that a tourist had been treated in hospital for an “exotic animal bite”. 

In 2019, a local man stirred controversy after a puma was filmed pacing nervously on the roof of his Fgura home.