On July 10, the British Base Court in Dhekelia sentenced four more bird trappers who had been secretly filmed trapping birds inside the British Dhekelia Base during 2018. All four trappers were fined and three were fined. also a sentence of 18 months suspended imprisonment.
The videos were published by the NGO BirdLife Cyprus, which also refers to the penalties imposed on the perpetrators as well as to the British action inside the Bases to combat poaching.
"These court rulings address the seriousness of trapping birds as a crime against wildlife and remind us that sooner or later the offenders will be held accountable for their actions," the statement said.
Surreptitious footage shows the trappers removing birds from the nets, killing them with a knife and throwing them on the ground, and then collecting them in a plastic bag.
These plots were used as evidence in the court of the British Bases in Dhekelia. With these convictions, the total number of people convicted of illegally killing birds with the help of covert surveillance amounts to 26 since 2016, while the highest fine imposed so far amounts to 6600 euros.
The area of Dhekelia was for many years notorious for trapping birds in Cyprus. Since autumn 2016, RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) with the support of the BirdLife Cyprus Association and the British Base Police has been using covert surveillance in the area to catch trappers 'in action' and use this material in court as evidence for the trial of a case.
This continuous and pioneering work combined with deterrent penalties has contributed in recent years to a dramatic reduction in trapping levels in the area. This has been made possible not only by the increased and more effective enforcement of the law by the British Base Police, but also by the effective cooperation between environmental NGOs and the Authorities, which is a real demonstration of how this Results.
Despite this significant reduction, bird trapping remains a widespread problem in Cyprus and Ptinologikos calls on the authorities to maintain pressure. In addition to providing support for covert surveillance operations at British bases, Ptinologicos continues to push hard for law enforcement against restaurants in the Republic that serve or sell vines illegally. Ptinologikos also continues to monitor the problem through its systematic monitoring program, which gives an accurate picture of changes in trapping levels. Thanks to this information, Ptinologikos is able to cooperate better with the competent authorities, but also to put pressure for a more effective and targeted implementation of the law. Equally important, Ptinologikos has its eyes on the future, giving special importance to raising the awareness of the younger generations, inspiring in them feelings of respect and protection of our natural world.
Every year, millions of migratory birds are killed illegally as they travel between Europe and Africa. That's why BirdLife International has launched the 'Flight for Survival' campaign, a global awareness campaign on this issue. The campaign focuses on 7 species of birds, including Ampelopoulli, which are being killed illegally on a huge scale in critical locations in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lebanon and Egypt.
Source: Dialogue