Sterilising Tigers and a Leopard: How a Vet Check in Malta Advocates for the Wellbeing of Captive Big Cats

Vienna/Malta, 9 June 2026

• Two male tigers and one male leopard were sterilised at the facility L-Arka ta’ Noè. The three animals and a female tiger received medical examinations.
• A tiger couple was relocated to a larger enclosure to improve their current keeping conditions. FOUR PAWS has offered its support for relocating other big cats to species-appropriate facilities.
• FOUR PAWS urges Malta to adopt a Positive List to regulate private keeping and curb the commercial breeding and trade of big cats.

Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS successfully completed a three-day veterinary mission at L-Arka ta’ Noè from 3-5 June, supported by experienced wildlife veterinarians from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. The mission aimed to stop the future breeding of big cats at this commercial facility and assess their overall health and welfare. To improve the conditions for captive big cats across Malta, FOUR PAWS encourages other owners to follow this example, sterilise their animals, and gradually exit the breeding and keeping of big cats.

Info: Maltese law now requires private keepers to sterilise their big cats, effectively ending private breeding, while commercial and zoological facilities may only breed with special permits. Although the owner of L-Arka ta’ Noè was not legally obliged to stop breeding, he chose to do so voluntarily and accepted FOUR PAWS’ support to exit this industry.

“We welcome the decision of the owner of L-Arka ta’ Noè to withdraw from the big cat breeding industry and hope that other facilities, both commercial and private, will follow.”

During the veterinary mission, experienced wildlife veterinarians sterilised two male tigers and one male leopard. The three animals and a female tiger underwent a physical examination, blood sampling, ultrasounds, and x-rays to assess their current health status. As a larger enclosure was available at the facility, the treated tiger pair was moved into it to improve their overall keeping conditions. Though the results of some of the veterinary examinations are still pending, FOUR PAWS will remain in contact with the owner to suggest further improvements to the keeping conditions. 

But the call for change goes beyond the facility. FOUR PAWS reiterates its call for Malta to curb the commercial trade in big cats as well as introduce a Positive List that specifies which animals may be kept privately. Unlike a Negative List, which attempts to ban certain species reactively, a Positive List would provide clarity for enforcement authorities, increase public safety, and prevent the exploitation of wild animals whose complex needs cannot be met in private keeping. “If Malta proceeds to enforce and further strengthen its legislation, it would be able to mitigate the suffering of big cats in captivity,” adds Tiplea.

To help animals still living in captivity, FOUR PAWS is open to assist owners of big cats and bears in Malta who are willing to exit this exploitative industry with veterinary checks and sterilisations. FOUR PAWS also remains committed to working with local authorities to tackle the issue and help the remaining captive big cats and bears.