Newsroom
Authorities extended their campaign against illegal bird trapping Friday, arresting two men and seizing hundreds of birds and trapping equipment in coordinated raids across the Nicosia and Larnaca districts.
The operation follows a similar crackdown reported Thursday in Famagusta, where police and environmental groups worked together to dismantle a trapping site, arresting a suspect and seizing nets and bird call devices. Experts say such joint efforts have significantly reduced bird deaths over the past decade.
In Nicosia, officers executed a court-authorized search of a residence, recovering five bird-trapping nets, 952 dead wild birds, and 817 small plastic containers used for packaging. In Larnaca, police found 11 active nets holding 297 birds; 149 dead and 147 alive. The surviving birds were released. Authorities also confiscated two devices that mimic bird calls.
A 42-year-old man wearing a hood attempted to flee the Larnaca site but was detained. Police found a quantity of cannabis on him, along with a single-barrel hunting gun, 181 shotgun cartridges, two bird call devices, and two dead birds in a vehicle linked to him.
Officers also arrested a 44-year-old man after stopping his vehicle near the site, seizing 30 shotgun cartridges and three knives.
The Game and Fauna Service is expected to issue fines under the Wild Birds Law. Investigations are continuing, led by the Pera Chorio and Kofinou police stations.
Environmental groups praised the ongoing enforcement, noting that consistent police action, especially when paired with monitoring by conservation organizations, has dramatically cut bird deaths in Cyprus over the past decade.
