Animal Welfare Commissioner Elias Myrianthous said on Sunday that authorities should already have enforced court rulings against Melios Zoo, after a bear was found outside its cage on Saturday evening.

Myrianthous told the Cyprus News Agency the rulings were issued over breaches of animal welfare laws and regulations.

He said the incident confirmed “all these concerns” raised over the years and that the competent services “should have already proceeded with the implementation of the court decisions”.

He called for more systematic inspections of zoos, as “the law requires them in the same way as it does for farm animals”.

The commisioner’s role has no executive powers and can only advise on weaknesses and help coordinate services.

Owner Menelaos Menelaou gave a differing account, saying the bear never left the enclosure and was outside its cage for about an hour from around 7pm, after visitors had gone.

He said he called police as a precaution and that officers waited in the car park while he dealt with the animal.

Menelaou said state agencies have inspected the site many times and never criticised its construction or its safety for animals or the public.

Veterinary services director Christodoulos Pipis said police told his department the owner reported that the bear escaped while he was trying to feed it.

The zoo has been in dispute with the state for years, for on April 9 a court confirmed that the park breached safety rules and had no valid permit.

An earlier ruling had found it in violation of the law, and the supreme court rejected Menelaou’s appeal.

On May 21 an appeals court upheld a Nicosia district court ruling against him, which was welcomed by both the Greens and the Animal party.

In June, the zoo and Menelaou filed a complaint with President Nikos Christodoulides, accusing state officers of “illegal and vengeful conduct”, including the confiscation and killing of animals.

These include 20 crocodiles, and it also alleges that a jaguar died after being trapped in a transport cage.