UK report give quarantine hope for pets

By Andrew Adamides

A REPORT commissioned by the British government recommending the abolition of the country’s anti-rabies quarantine laws could see the end of the heartbreaking separation that owners and their pets have to suffer when moving from Cyprus back to the UK.

At present, animals brought into the UK from abroad must spend a mandatory six month period in isolation at government kennels.

However, the report recommends that vaccination and the microchip tagging of pets could effectively replace the quarantine.

The report refers to animals imported from EU and some other countries, and Cyprus should stand a good chance of inclusion, as it is free of rabies.

Cyprus does not have quarantine for imported animals. Pavlos Economides, head of the Veterinary Department, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that animals were examined on arrival, and then kept under observation at the owner’s home for a six-month period.

This lessens the emotional impact on both the pet and the owner, he explained.

Owners are, however, not allowed to bring the animal in contact with local animals, and must report any symptoms that their pet develops. Government inspectors make regular visits to ensure that the animals are healthy.

Economides said that although the government did still maintain an official quarantine kennel, this was only used for animals which did develop symptoms during their first six months on the island. So far, he said, no cases of rabies had developed in imported animals.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.