After enjoying a long, lazy summer, I have been thinking of ways to keep myself amused. Following recent events, one idea that sprang to mind was starting a zoo on my roof.

A Bengal tiger, for example, would look so good, strutting round and round in circles on the top of my house – it is so like its natural environment.

I would, of course, need a few pigs or deer, antelopes and buffalo for it to chase and eat at dawn and dusk. When hungry, a tiger can eat as much as 27 kilogrammes in one night, so I would probably need to run a farm at the same time.

It will, however, miss the vast expanse it needs to roam about in, although I could probably put a few small trees in pots to provide shade.

Nobody would dare burgle my house; it would make mincemeat out of any intruder.

Its roar would compete with the neighbourhood dogs’ constant barking, day and night. At least a tiger would only roar occasionally, although its roar can be heard as far as three kilometres away.

But we Maltese thrive on noise, so it should not be a problem. What’s a roar here and there compared to the bedlam we are used to.

It would also be exciting if one of my wild animals escaped. It would terrify the neighbourhood and imagine what a spectacle the local constabulary and the armed forces attempting to catch it would provide.

Apparently, importing wild, endangered animals into the country is a piece of cake. It might be hell getting a domestic item through Customs, but hey, as long as its alive and endangered... no problem.

Now before some of you get too incensed and start phoning the paper, I don’t mean it. Starting a zoo on my roof, that is.

But I was so intrigued by the news that someone was actually keeping a Bengal tiger cub on a warehouse roof in Mosta that I could not resist having some fun with it.

As most of you know, Bengal tigers dwell in tropical jungles, marshlands and tall grasslands in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Burma.

How anyone can imagine that an air-conditioned room (however large) on a Maltese roof top bears any similarities whatsoever to that environment beggars belief.

Tigers do not need ACs, they are used to tropical heat. Their bodies generate their own temperature control. What they need is shade, water and acres and acres of roaming space (the size of our whole island) in a jungle (not a concrete one).

Apparently, members of the Animal Welfare Department, the police’s Administrative Law Enforcement and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s Environment Protection Department were all falling over each other to raid the place, after an anonymous phone call.

I mean, how often do they get to see a live tiger? Now you know what you have to say when you need their immediate action. Don’t cry “wolf”, cry “tiger”.

Not only did they never get to see one, but they also obviously did not have a clue about what to do with it.

So rather than confiscating the animal until investigations are held (and we all know how long those could take), they decided to leave the tiger on the Mosta rooftop.

The Times reported: “The authorities decided the cub should remain with the owner until investigations established how it was brought in and whether the owner had the necessary paperwork to import it.”

But should not the owner have had the necessary paperwork to hand? Surely something as important as that cannot be waylaid.

The truth is that all these officials did not have the remotest idea of how to deal with the situation. Admittedly, where does one park a tiger until documents and permits are cleared up? Filfla?

Martin Seychell, Mepa’s environment director, was reported as saying: “This species could not be captured in the wild and for it to be imported into the island there had to be movement permits issued from the country of origin and the importing country.

“There are strict trade permits and its importation would require consent by the authorities of both sides. The animal would need to have an entire history to ensure it has been born and bred in captivity.”

But the owner did not supply the paperwork. It would be interesting to know how and whom the authorities are going to investigate to track down the documentation – if it exists!

Mr Seychell confirmed that tigers are protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and that it has very strict regulations. So how on earth did this cub get through?

The authorities should be contacting CITES and other relevant organisations and moving the tiger to a suitable environment as soon as possible, at the owner’s expense.

Restorative justice

The tiger cub managed to attract a lot of interest, much more than new proposals to free caged humans.

Now I know that humans deprived of their freedom, unlike wild animals, are being restrained because they have been found guilty of a criminal offence, (barring illegal immigrants) but even so, one would have expected at least some reaction to the reforms where parole is being proposed.

A restorative justice system is well overdue. Having served on the Prison Board over a decade ago, and having been involved in Victim Support more recently, I can only hope that the proposals are not only taken up but are delivered adequately.

Training for inmates to help with their eventual release has been on the cards for a long time. Proposing is not the hard bit, handling a cohesive and relevant training programme for inmates, many of whom are illiterate and innumerate, requires expertise and dedication.

Victim involvement is also a very delicate procedure. Restorative processes include direct or indirect reparation to the person harmed by the crime. They are meant to foster accountability by the offender.

Restorative resolutions engage victims, offenders and their affected communities in search of solutions that promote repair and reconciliation.

They strive to balance the need to rehabilitate offenders and the duty to protect the public. That is why the public needs to engage with these very important proposals.