Animal Welfare Commissioner Fleur Abela declared, in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, that Malta is no place for zoos.

Wild animals deserve large enclosures with ample space to roam. Keeping them caged up in small enclosures goes against their nature. If a wild animal must be kept in captivity, perhaps because it was born or raised in captivity, then at the very least they should be given plenty of land on which they can roam.

Malta, with its limited space, cannot really offer that. The best places for such animals are in reserves dedicated to caring for such animals.

Responding to questions by this newsroom, Abela said that if those who are keeping these animals are keeping them in line with European standards, the authorities cannot go to them and take them away. This is especially the case if those animals are registered, she said. "What I can say, and it is my recommendation, is that when these animals pass away, others do not come in," Abela said.

It is a recommendation that should be heeded. Supporting the breeding and raising in captivity of wild animals for enjoyment is wrong. There are reserves which exist abroad where such animals would have a lot of room. Wild animals just should not be kept as pets.

There also needs to be better enforcement. We all remember the issue of the wild cats found in Naxxar in a poor state. How that was allowed to happen in the first place is a mystery. The animals were eventually relocated to what the authorities said was a new site appropriate for these animals. But one questions whether sites that exist in Malta are truly appropriate for what these majestic animals deserve long term?

When the Momentum party claimed a chimpanzee is living in a cage on the roof of a Swieqi property, this too raises concerns and questions about the keeping of exotic pets in urban areas.

On another issue, the government had granted an amnesty to those who had exotic animals which were not registered to register them without facing a fine or criminal sentence. This should not have been granted. It made absolutely no sense rewarding those who don't follow the rules. Malta needs to have stricter importation controls and monitoring to ensure exotic animals are not illegally brought into the country, and far better enforcement.