Rafaela Dimitriadi
Cyprus should consider freezing the assets of repeat poachers, banning them from owning guns, and even taking away their driving licenses, the head of the Game and Fauna Service told lawmakers Wednesday, warning that existing penalties are failing to stop a hard core of offenders.
Pantelis Hadjigerou said some poachers continue breaking the law despite being repeatedly reported over many years.
“There is a specific group of poachers who go out every night to catch hares,” he told the parliamentary committee. “They have been reported for years, but they do not stop.”
The unusually tough proposals emerged during Parliament’s continuing discussion of environmental activist groups, their impact on hunting, and whether further measures are needed to deal with escalating tensions.
Hadjigerou also warned of a gap in the law covering the harassment of hunters, telling MPs that unless the situation is addressed, “we will end up mourning victims.”
