A coalition of Maltese animal welfare groups and activists is calling on authorities to prevent MonteKristo Animal Park from reopening this weekend unless it can publicly demonstrate that it holds a valid zoo operating licence.MonteKristo has announced that the animal park will open its doors to the public on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September, prompting a strongly-worded joint statement from several organisations and activists.However, the groups say authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the establishment currently holds a valid licence to operate as a zoo.“If such a licence exists, the government must publish it immediately, together with the date on which it was issued, its conditions, the inspections undertaken and the legal justification for granting it,” they said.“If no valid licence exists, then the gates must remain closed.”The groups accused authorities of contributing to a public perception that Malta has “one law for the powerful and another for everyone else”, invoking the Maltese phrase “Liġi għall-kbir u liġi għaż-żgħir.”Their intervention comes after years of controversy surrounding the site.In July 2025, the Planning Authority sanctioned a number of previously illegal developments at the MonteKristo Estate, including the zoo and family park, after €1.8 million was paid in fines and planning contributions. Some of the illegalities stretched back to at least 2008.However, the animal groups stressed that obtaining planning permission for structures is separate from securing permission to operate a zoo.“A planning permit may regularise concrete and buildings,” they said. “It cannot erase animal welfare violations, substitute a zoo operating licence or make an operator legally and ethically suitable to keep animals.”They also pointed towards a 2021 court case in which the operator was fined €22,000 after being found guilty of offences including operating an illegal zoo, failing to register animals and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.The coalition is now demanding immediate action from both the Animal Welfare Directorate and Malta Police before the attraction opens its gates this weekend.Among its demands, it wants authorities to publish MonteKristo’s full licensing status, animal inventory, registration records, inspection reports and permits relating to the keeping and exhibition of animals.The groups are going significantly further than simply demanding proof of a licence.They are also calling for all animals currently held at the zoo to be taken into protective custody, independently assessed by veterinary and animal welfare professionals and ultimately relocated to licensed facilities or reputable sanctuaries where necessary.The statement also raises questions about incidents reported during 2025.Vuċi għall-Annimali said activists visited the park last year, paid admission and documented animals being exhibited to members of the public despite concerns over its licensing status.The organisation said police reports were subsequently filed, while both police and Animal Welfare officers attended the site during another visit in August 2025.“To our knowledge, no prosecution followed,” the groups said, calling on authorities to disclose whether legal proceedings were initiated and, if so, their current status.They also referred to an animal circus event held at MonteKristo in October 2025, which the Animal Rights Ministry said at the time had included performances “in direct breach of the law”.The permit was revoked and enforcement action was announced, but the coalition says the public has still not been informed of its outcome.The groups are consequently demanding an independent investigation into how previous reports, convictions and interventions by enforcement officers were handled.“This is not a party-political demand,” they said. “It is a demand for equality before the law, institutional accountability, public safety and the protection of animals.”“No operator, however wealthy, powerful or well-connected should be placed above the law.”“The Animal Welfare Act must protect animals from everyone, or it protects them from no one.”The government must act before the gates open, they concluded.What do you make of this statement?•