Animal welfare crisis: volunteers in Cyprus stop cat sterilization amid threats and attacks

Animal welfare organizations in Cyprus have announced a forced suspension of their participation in programs to sterilize stray cats. The reason for this decision has been the increasing number of incidents of aggression, direct threats and physical attacks targeting volunteers.
In their appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture, representatives of the animal welfare community said that work under the current conditions had become unsafe. A number of activists have already filed complaints with the police about harassment.
The suspension of this activity puts at risk the control of the stray animal population on the island, which has been maintained largely through the efforts of volunteers. Animal welfare advocates stress that they are waiting for decisive measures from the authorities to ensure the safety of volunteers so that the program can resume.