While the police are still searching for the owner of the three Pharaoh hound dogs found bound and dead, floating in the sea off Marsalforn on Tuesday afternoon, the Labour Party said in a statement yesterday that the Animal Welfare Act should be amended.
A vet who saw the dead dogs confirmed that it did not seem to be an act of animal cruelty. The dogs were well-kept and the possibility that they may have escaped, and at some point fallen into the sea, when they were bound together, has not been ruled out, police sources told The Malta Independent.
That the two female and one male dog were thrown into the sea in an act of animal cruelty has so far been almost ruled out, from the information given by the vet so far.
The call was first received by the Civil Protection Department at around 11.30am. The Pharaoh hound dogs were recovered from the sea by the CPD at Mġarr Harbour on Tuesday at around 4.45pm.
The dogs were found to be in an advanced state of decomposition and bearing signs of putrification, however the vet confirmed that they bore no signs of internal or external violence.
This happened just days after the death of Star, the dog who touched the hearts of many when she was found shot, bound and buried alive in a field at Għar Ħasan, Birżebbuġa.
Droves of people turned up at the Sliema Ferries two Sundays ago, to participate in a protest for Star and for animal rights. This also led to discussions on harsher penalties for those found guilty of animal abuse, a Rural Affairs Ministry spokesman told The Malta Independent.
Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, who also participated in the protest, said he also condemned the perpetrators of such cruelty and said the government was committed to animal rights. Investigations remain under way.
In yesterday’s statement, the PL spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Gino Cauchi, condemned all acts of cruelty to animals and insisted such cases should not be swept under the carpet.
“The PL believes it is time for this country to draft, discuss and approve a law to better protect animals and give them more rights,” the statement said.
Parts of a number of laws and legal notices on the subject need to be re-discussed, thoroughly researched and intertwined in a comprehensive law that fully serves as a deterrent for those found guilty of mistreating animals.
The PL has already started discussing the matter with NGOs and individuals involved in the sector and said it is open for further discussions to serve as a catalyst in reaching this aim without any further delays.