Cyprus issues €13,500 fine over 17 wild birds caught in nets

Cyprus police issued a 36-year-old resident of the Larnaca district an out-of-court fine of €13,500 for illegally trapping wild birds. The penalty followed a discovery by an anti-poaching unit: on 8 September, 17 wild birds tangled in trapping nets were found on an enclosed property in the Larnaca district.

In addition to the nets containing birds, five more trapping nets and a device that played bird calls were found at the site. Such electronic callers are used to lure birds towards the nets. All 17 birds were alive and were released into their natural habitat.

Further checks showed that the property was managed by the 36-year-old man. The investigation was carried out by Kofinou Police Station together with the Game and Fauna Service, and the fine was issued under the law on the protection and management of wild birds and game.

Trapping songbirds with nets and glue traps is prohibited in Cyprus, but remains a chronic problem: poaching sites are most often found in the Larnaca and Famagusta districts. The captured birds are sold to restaurants as a delicacy, and their sale is also illegal.