THE BELEAGUERED Paphiakos animal welfare has been given a year’s extension to vacate its shelter.
Paphiakos founder Christine Panayiotou had faced eviction after being summoned by Yeroskipou Municipality to appear in court, with the local authority seeking an order for the removal of around 1,000 cats, dogs, goats, donkeys and horses from the shelter, fuelling fears that the animals would have to be destroyed.
The municipality wants Paphiakos out of the church-owned property, while Leptos Estates has sued because they feel their property around the shelter is being devalued by the presence of the animals. On Monday, the parties agreed at court to postpone the relocation until June 2005.
Financial problems and lack of government support have left the charity on the verge of collapse, and last year it threatened to cease its rescue activities until its problems were addressed.
The strike was eventually called off after Agriculture Minister Timis Efthymiou promised the ministry would work with the charity to create a plan of action for its future.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, a Paphiakos spokesman said he was delighted with the decision.
“This, at the very least, buys us some more time, but I am convinced that this offer would not have come about without all the pressure being applied by the media and our many friends, not only here in Cyprus but in other countries as well,” he said.
“We are still left with the problem of trying to find an alternative site for the shelter to move to, but there are two possibilities, the first being that the government will eventually come up with a suitable site.
“This is not to say that we have received any official communication to this effect and it is based only on what we hear through the grapevine,” the spokesman added.
“The second alternative is to try and find a site ourselves at a reasonable price and with the appropriate planning consents.”
The spokesman said that whether the government came up with a site or the charity found one themselves, they would still need the support of the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the appropriate permissions were forthcoming.
“Our experience indicates that local authorities are most reluctant to grant such permissions off their own back,” he said.
“They would not see any advantage to themselves.”
