No legal action has been taken against the owners of 66 dangerous species who had failed to bring themselves in line with a 2016 law requiring their animals to be registered with the authorities.
An audit of the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Regulation Department by the National Audit Office last year found the Animal Welfare directorate, in particular, to be understaffed, lacking in qualified personnel and over-reliant on ageing employees.
Over the past years, Malta has experienced a proliferation in the ownership of dangerous animals and illegal zoos.
New legislation was pushed through after a five-year-old was mauled by a tiger at the Montekristo estate in 2015. Construction magnate Charles Polidano was cleared of responsibility after a botched prosecution failed to show he was running an illegal zoo.