According to the newspaper "Phileleftheros", two poachers who attacked in September 2019 volunteers of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), in their attempt to remove illegal electronic trapping machines. in Ayia Napa, when they were found with an illegal machine, 100 spears and four killed protected birds.
According to Alexander Heyd, Director of CAPS, in the fall of 2019, they had spotted spies and while they were about to call the Hunting and Fauna Service, they were brutally attacked by two poachers who were in the area. According to Mr. Heyd, the two persons claimed to the Police that "we sprayed them with pepper spray and stole their credit card. They claimed that we were harassing them in the legal hunt. The hunting federation supported these criminals and later suggested to the Minister of Interior to prepare a bill against those who harass the legal hunters ".
According to CABS, illegal snare trapping is once again high in Cyprus. "Birds in the spring are not so numerous and have less fat, so they are less attractive to restaurants. Therefore, illegal trapping in the spring was never as high as it was in other times. CABS teams have previously observed a steady decline in the number of active bird trapping sites during the spring. However, the initial findings this spring (2021), seem to contradict this trend ", he adds.
CABS volunteers found and reported to the competent authorities seven active sites of illegal trapping, in a single day. Four suspects were arrested and fines of € 8.200 were issued by the Game and Fauna Service, as any hunting activity outside the permitted period carries a heavier penalty.
"Since our teams started monitoring the situation in Cyprus a few days ago, 90% of the trapping points investigated have been confirmed as active. This equates to hundreds of tree trunks and shrubs, as well as thousands of feathers on the ground. "It's like no one is tracking poachers when CABS does not detect them," said Alexander Heyd.
Source: Philenews