Cyprus: Attack on committee volunteers.
Yesterday morning two participants of the committee bird protection camp- not far from the city of Agia Napa / Cyprus– were attacked by armed poachers.
The two perpetrators had posted illegal liming rods on bushes around their hunting grounds and provided them with an electronic decoy.
When our members – a young man and a young woman – tried to sneak up to the trapping site to investigate the situation for a game warden, they surprised the hunters, who attacked without warning.
They pushed both bird conservationists to the ground, threatened to kill them, strangled the young man, and destroyed his cell phone. Before the game guards arrived, the perpetrators fled.
The brutal attack was preceded by a newspaper article launched by the Cypriot hunters, in which the committee against bird murder was vilified and xenophobic sentiment against us was stoked.
We filed a complaint against the attackers, the limes were collected. Both of our members got away with bruises and a real shock.
The picture comes from the archive – it shows the fishing method with liming rods, birds caught with them. Also in Cyprus!
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According to my information…In the committee’s bird protection camp in Cyprus, committee activists are confronted with such “finds” every day.
If they find the animals early enough, they can usually free them safely. If the birds hang around for hours in the Mediterranean.
Bird hunting with liming rods and fishing nets have been banned in Cyprus since 1974.
But illegal bird trapping is big business, involving gangs that are also involved in drugs and prostitution.
“There are many indications that this is an organized crime”.
In fact, networks are now available almost for free on Internet portals. Liming rods also cost nothing.
Bird protection organizations have calculated that a hunter catches up to a hundred birds per net and night in the high season, which he can sell for four euros each. In total, the songbird trade is expected to bring in 15 million euros annually for the 3,000 Cypriot poachers.
“There’s a mafia behind it, and the police are playing along”.
Once the hunters have been reported, they can be left alone for money.
Since the mission in Cyprus began two weeks ago, the committee has already rendered 642 of the brutal limestones harmless and displaced 10 poachers.
They were able to clean the black cap in the photo with a lot of effort and patience and release it after a night in the hotel.
We bow to the activists of the “Committee Against Bird Murder”.
My best regards to all, Venus
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