A new €250,000 shelter for homeless animals will be built in Paphos

The state intends to allocate €250,000 to establish a modern district animal shelter in Paphos. The project is expected to be completed within 18 months and will help resolve the problem of housing homeless animals in the area. The issue of creating the shelter was discussed at a meeting at Paphos Municipality attended by Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare Ilias Myriantus and Acting Mayor of Paphos Angelos Onisiforou. Myriantus said the aim was to complete the project within the next 18 months, before the end of his term in office. According to him, efforts are currently under way to remove the obstacles that have arisen and find the most suitable location for the shelter.

At present, the housing of homeless animals in the Paphos district is largely ensured by private and, primarily, volunteer initiatives. Although the district’s four municipalities and communities have created facilities for the temporary housing of animals, the existing infrastructure is insufficient to address the problem effectively. State services previously proposed a plot of land in the community of Anarita as a possible location for the district shelter. However, this option met with serious objections from the Union of Paphos Communities and local authorities.

Myriantus said that the main focus was now on removing the obstacles so that the project could be implemented as quickly as possible. At the same time, he did not rule out looking for another suitable plot if the current option could not be implemented. Acting Mayor of Paphos Angelos Onisiforou acknowledged that the problem of homeless animals remained serious, but expressed confidence that the existing obstacles could be overcome through cooperation among all stakeholders.