Three tal-fenek dogs were brutally killed on a Gozo farm last week, sparking disdain from a large section of the public. Animal lovers have voiced their contempt in letters to newspapers, but this particular story angered even those people who are not so much involved in taking care of animals.
It was not the first incident of its kind, and regretfully it will not be the last either. The media has in the past reported several cases of animal cruelty, but it must be said that last week’s incident can be singled out because of the nasty way in which the dogs were brutally killed.
Together with the press statement issued by the Gozo SPCA on the matter, The Malta Independent received photos of the dogs strung up by their necks with a thin cord, keeping them suspended just inches from the ground. The dogs appeared to be standing on their hind legs as if eagerly awaiting the arrival of their owner, who must have however had one of the greatest shocks when he arrived on the farm that day.
This newspaper chose not to publish the photos, largely because of their content and also so as not to give a sadistic pleasure to the perpetrators in seeing their heinous crime in print. These perpetrators are unfortunately still at large, and the police should do everything in their power to bring them to book.
Once caught, the perpetrators should be given a harsh sentence that should act as a deterrent against similar action. Too often, our courts are quite lenient on people who are cruel to animals, and this should not be the case.
Organisations who take care of animals have strongly condemned the incident, and so it should be. They have also called for stiffer punishments for people who are found guilty of such crimes.
News of animal cruelty is always sad, for two reasons. Firstly, one can only imagine the pain and suffering of the defenceless animals, and secondly, one can never understand why humans behave in such a way.
It is already enough that so many animals are accidentally killed on our roads. Dead cats and sometimes dead dogs too are a common sight on our busy roads, as the animals are unfortunately hit by oncoming cars. We take the opportunity to call upon drivers to be on the lookout for those many stray animals which ply open spaces, and as much as possible avoid hitting them.
What was perhaps even worse in this case is that the animals killed have become a rare breed. Tal-fenek dogs, which the Gozo SPCA described as “an ancient and important part of Malta’s national heritage”, are slowly dying out. The fact that one of the dogs killed in such a barbaric way was pregnant makes the incident all the more despicable.
Everything possible should be made to protect what is, after all, the national dog. Tal-fenek dogs have been part and parcel of Maltese life for centuries, and it would be a real pity if we lose this heritage.
Fortunately, the greater part of the population treats animals well and goes to great lengths, sometimes at great personal expense, to take care of them properly.
The government has enacted strict laws on animal cruelty, aimed to push humans to treat animals with kindness and tenderness and to keep people away from maltreating them. These laws should be implemented to the letter, and anyone caught being cruel to animals should be brought to book and given an exemplary punishment.
It is only through such measures that incidents such as the one reported from Gozo last week will not be repeated.