Exposing the Gaps: Urgent Reform Needed for Malta’s Dangerous Animal Laws

We, Vuċi għall-Annimali, obtained critical data via a Freedom of Information request concerning the registration and oversight of dangerous animals under the 90-day Amnesty period initiated in Malta this year 2025. Our findings expose regulatory failures, inadequate animal welfare standards, and the misuse of the amnesty system.

Freedom of information request.pdf

Download PDF • 118KB

Enclosure Standards Fall Below EU Benchmarks

Our analysis reveals that many of the enclosures listed fall below Switzerland’s minimum requirements. These were chosen by Malta as a benchmark precisely because they meet the lowest acceptable standards in the EU.

🔍 Quote from law – S.L.439.19, Regulation 4(1): "Any person keeping a dangerous animal shall ensure that the premises and enclosures in which the animal is kept are suitable, secure and provide for the needs and welfare of the animal."

Failure to meet these basic enclosure standards breaches national law and places both animal welfare and public safety at risk.

The Bloody Cost of Primate Trade

Primate trafficking is brutal. Chimpanzees and other primates are sold for up to €25,000, with poachers frequently killing entire groups in the wild to capture one baby chimp.

🌍 According to the Great Apes Survival Partnership, for every infant captured, up to 10 adults are killed.

This cruel trade directly violates CITES, to which Malta is a signatory.

Chimpanzees are listed in Annex A, the strictest level of CITES protection — meaning their trade is prohibited except under exceptional circumstances.

Young Animals Suggest Amnesty Loopholes Were Exploited

Our FOI request uncovered that many registered animals are extremely young as 2 months old, strongly suggesting they were acquired during or shortly before the amnesty period — contrary to the intent of the legislation.

The amnesty was introduced to regularise animals already in people’s possession, not as a window to import, buy, or breed more dangerous animals.

Only Mammals, excluding one on the Dangerous Animal List under Amnesty

Out of over 100 registered animals, only one was not a mammal — a Caiman crocodile.

This raises disturbing questions:

• Where are the snakes, large reptiles, or venomous arachnids?

• Are they being kept illegally or unmonitored?

• Does Malta have the expertise and systems to regulate these species?

Two Critical Questions for the Authorities

1. Why Has the ERA Not Acted?

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) is Malta’s designated CITES Management Authority and is responsible for ensuring permits and compliance.

Despite this, ERA has not investigated the legitimacy of these animals, nor taken visible enforcement actions against apparent breaches.

2. Is the VRD Facilitating Illegal Registration?

The Veterinary Regulation Directorate (VRD) has registered animals born during or around the amnesty period, including baby primates. This raises serious concerns about possible complicity in laundering illegal wildlife through official registration.

Additionally, Malta’s 6-month neutering rule — a key control mechanism — appears to be largely unenforced as no information has been given about it.

📜 Neutering obligation – S.L.439.19, Regulation 8(3): "Any dangerous animal which is registered under the amnesty shall be neutered within six months from the date of registration, unless a specific exemption is issued in writing by the Director."

Yet, the vast majority of animals remain unneutered — months later. This opens the door to uncontrolled breeding and further unregulated trade.

We ask:

• Is VRD verifying that neutering is completed on time?

• What veterinary oversight or follow-up system is being used?

• How is the public being assured of compliance?

🔎 Missing Information: Where Are the Ages?

One of the most concerning irregularities we uncovered is the lack of basic data in the FOI list — especially the ages of animals.

For most registered animals, no age is listed, even though:

• Proper documentation should include this by law, especially for species covered under dangerous animal regulations and CITES.

• Knowing an animal’s age is essential to determine if it was in the owner’s possession before the amnesty, or if it was born/traded during the amnesty period — which would be illegal.

This absence makes it nearly impossible to verify compliance, undermines the effectiveness of the registry, and opens the door to wildlife laundering through unverified births.

❗ Without birth dates, how can anyone verify if animals were legally kept before the amnesty or smuggled in under cover of it?

🔴 What Vuċi għall-Annimali Demands

We call on the authorities to:

✅ Audit every animal declared under the amnesty – including species, housing conditions, and documented birth dates. 

✅ Investigate all registrations involving young animals – Why is age data missing if documents supposedly exist? 

✅ Enforce the 6-month neutering obligation – As required by law under S.L.439.19, Reg. 8(3). 

✅ Launch immediate inspections of all enclosures – Many fall short of the basic Swiss welfare standards referenced in S.L.439.19, Reg. 4(1). 

✅ Clarify enforcement protocols from ERA and VRD – What systems are in place to monitor dangerous animals and follow up with veterinary checks? 

✅ Strengthen oversight of non-mammalian dangerous species – The presence of only one non-mammal suggests many are going unregistered or uninspected. 

✅ Obtain and verify full CITES documentation – Authorities must ensure that every CITES-listed animal has legally valid permits and that these are not a front for animals acquired through the illegal wildlife trade, in breach of S.L.549.33, Reg. 3(1). 

✅ Explore relocation options abroad – Vuċi għall-Annimali is already in contact with international NGOs and rescues monitoring Malta. These organisations are willing to help rehome animals currently held in breach of local or international law, if the Maltese government cooperates. 

✅ Publish the full animal registry with missing data filled in – This includes birthdates, CITES permit numbers, and neutering statuses. Transparency is essential.

Public are encouraged to sign the petition www.vucighallannimali.com/petition

Keyword Phrases & Legal Meanings

Keyword	Meaning
Dangerous Animals	Defined in Schedule I of S.L.439.19. Species posing a danger to humans or other animals.
Neutering	Required by law under Reg. 8(3) of S.L.439.19 for amnesty-registered dangerous animals.
CITES	Convention regulating international trade in endangered species. Implemented in Malta via S.L.549.33. CITES Annexes Categories listing species under different protection levels: → Annex A: Most endangered; trade strictly prohibited except for exceptional, non-commercial purposes. (e.g. chimpanzees, gorillas) → Annex B: Species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but could become so without trade control. → Annex C: Species protected in at least one country, which has requested CITES assistance in controlling trade.
ERA	Authority enforcing CITES and responsible for wildlife inspections.
VRD	Veterinary directorate tasked with registering animals and ensuring compliance with health protocols.
Amnesty Period	Government-declared opportunity to declare illegal animals already in one’s possession.