A new Labour government will fully support, financially and in human resources, associations involved in the care of animals, Labour Party leader Alfred Sant said yesterday on a visit to the Noah's Ark animal sanctuary in Mellieha, where over 100 dogs are cared for.

The MLP believed the time had come for the state to fully support those associations which looked after animals, he said. One measure Labour in government would take would be to allocate to these associations government workers who would wish it.

Fabio Ciappara, president of Noah's Ark, said its running was costly. Many volunteers helped them every day. He appealed to the government immediately to pass on financial help to them as promised in the budget, before it was too late for a large number of animals.