Despite the claims made by government the proposed regulations on the keeping of wild animals in zoos do not 'strengthen the role of zoos in the conservation of biodiversity', nor do they 'protect the health and wellbeing of wild animals', AD-PD said.

The expansion and development of human society has inevitably affected the lives of many other species. Disruption to their lifestyles has been both accidental and deliberate and has resulted in suffering, death or even extinction. The prevailing assumption that animals can be used for any purpose that supposedly benefits humankind is not acceptable, the party said.

ADPD Deputy Chairperson Mark Zerafa said:"The proposed Keeping of Wild Animals in Zoos Regulations, 2020, depart from the point that it is acceptable to keep wild animals in zoos, particularly animals, such as large cats and other animals, which animals’ natural environments cannot in any way and by any stretch of the imagination be replicated in Malta. It is clear to those who take the time to understand the so-called ‘zoo’ phenomenon in Malta, that these private collections of wild animals are vanity projects and the new status symbols for some people. As such the aim of government should be the phasing out of private collections of wild animals and not their encouragement through regulations which give a veneer of acceptability to such private projects. No breeding of wild animals should be allowed for private collections. Additionally these collections are excuses for the take up of land, probably agricultural land, to be turned into commercial and retail spaces with the added ‘attraction’ of wild animals in cages."

"Any permits for ‘zoos’ should be based on whether these benefit the animal concerned. Licenses should only be granted to bona fide research-led establishments involved in either captive breeding of endangered species for eventual return to the wild or else to those offering genuine sanctuary to animals unable, through injury and other cause, to be returned to the wild and where their living conditions are as close as possible to the animal's natural habitat. In Malta this would mean the breeding or sanctuary to fauna which occur naturally here, or the reintroduction of species which have become rare, certainly not lions, tigers and giraffes."

"As things stand, so-called ‘zoos’ in Malta are merely a veneer over money making enterprises or vanity projects in which the welfare of the animals is of secondary importance. It is inherently cruel to confine a wild animal, naturally adapted to roam the savannah, for example, in an artificial enclosure. Animals in the wild may exhibit complex social interactions and hunting and foraging instincts which they are unable to express in a confined setting. Such animals have been known to exhibit symptoms of stress and frustration that have been collectively termed zoochosis. Allowing visitors to pet these animals and to pose for pictures with them further compounds and exacerbates the animals' suffering."

Mark Zerafa concluded:"We reiterate that zoos are unnecessary and undesirable. While the proposed regulations may set minimum standards for animal welfare, although government has already given in and will allow wild animal petting, the fact remains that private collections of animals just for the sake of it should be phased out."