The government was elected on the rallying call of Malta taghna lkoll (Malta belongs to all of us). It has come in for some stick in giving ‘jobs to the boys’, and we have yet to see the promise of “we will listen to you” materialize.

But one small step in the right direction was taken yesterday as the Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights announced that a consultation exercise is to be held in relation to the use of animals in circuses.

The aim of the consultation process is to hear the views of NGOs and individuals with a view of coming up with a White Paper to better regulate the sector and “decide whether or not they should be banned”.

For us, the answer is simple. The use of wild animals in circuses should be banned, and for several reasons. This publishing house has long been active in the sphere of animal rights and prevention of cruelty to animals. Long before many jumped on the bandwagon, the issue was firmly on our agenda, and still is.

The use of wild animals in circuses is wrong for a number of reasons. The issue which is most relevant to Malta is the length of transit in captivity that animals such as horses and lions have to go through is not good for their health. Some animals cannot vomit, their systems do not permit it, and when they are transported at sea and get ‘seasick’ their systems cannot take it and it causes them suffering and harm.

There is, of course, the other issue and it is as plain as the nose on anyone’s face. What right do humans have to trade cash for animals taken from the wild, and put into captivity, simply to ‘entertain’? It is morally wrong and a theft of our global heritage, which because of poaching and human encroachment, is shrinking every day.

Then, there is the third aspect. Cruelty. Cruelty does not necessarily have to be induced by physical harm. It can he mental cruelty. Elephants are not mean to stand up on their hind legs, just as much as lions are not meant to be kept in small cages. We must understand the difference between a domesticated captive animal and a wild captive animal, forced to perform ‘tricks’. When a lion tamer gets into the ring and cracks his whip, the lions snarl and growl. They do not do it as a trick, they do it because they are bored, frustrated and in a completely alien environment. Over the years, many Maltese have woken up to the fact that keeping such animals in captivity is not to their liking. A lot of it has to do with the education that children get in schools – many kids simply do not like seeing animals in cages, and in turn, this has rubbed off on their parents.

Still though, the market must be there, as circuses come and go. Each time one is in town, there are complaints. Last time round, these were investigated and some were found to be legitimate complaints made by the public. Yet, the circus got an extension to operate for a further number of weeks. Let us hope that the consultation exercise is not just lip service. And let us hope that legitimate arguments are put forward by all concerned, and not just sensationalized rhetoric. The fundamentals are: length of transport and transport conditions, wild animals should be left wild, and general treatment of the animals.