105 bird poachers convicted in 2022

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has contributed to the arrest and conviction of a total of 105 poachers in 2022, following the arrest of three hunters in the last days of the year.

According to a CABS announcement, two of the three arrested had used illegal mimetic devices to hunt grouse and were caught red-handed with the help of gamekeepers from the Game and Fauna Service.

It is added that the third poacher had come to the attention of the organization for the same offense as he had used a mimetic device to hunt thrush, while it is noted that it took the British Bases police over an hour to arrive at the scene.

While the other hunters managed to escape, the suspect changed his device to a meadowlark sound and shot four of the protected migratory birds, which translates to a fine of 2,500 euros, as opposed to a fine of just a few hundred euros that would have been imposed if he had been caught using the device for the thrush (a huntable species), the statement concludes.

The SBA authorities working closely with BirdLife Cyprus, the RSPB and Committee Against Birds Slaughter (CABS) have reduced the number of illegally trapped and killed songbirds to an estimated 117,000 in 2019, down from around 900,000 in 2016. In the Republic an estimated 301,000 were trapped, the second year of increase since 2017, and undermining previous progress.