THE Cypriot scientist who discovered the ‘Cyprus mouse’ has said he has received reports of wild boar sightings in Paphos forest, contradicting the belief that they died out at least two years ago.
Dr Eletherios Hajisterkotis, who organised of the biannual ‘International wild boar symposium’ recently held at Kykkos Monastery, said that a study conducted two years ago concluded that wild boars were completely extinct from Cyprus. However, reports from villages near Paphos forest suggest that this may not be the case.
“Some of the villagers say that they have found boar tracks, and there are even reports of sightings,” said Hajisterkotis
But the eminent scientist is erring on the side of caution, saying that, as of yet, there is no hard evidence to backup these anecdotal reports.
The animal is not indigenous to the island and was introduced to the wild in the early 90s, although archeological evidence suggests that people have kept pigs on the island for thousands of years.
Over the past 10 years, hunting and inbreeding has reduced the numbers to the point of extinction. “It is illegal to hunt them, but the fact is that they were hunted. We didn’t think it could happen because the hunters didn’t have the correct ammunition.
“On top of this, there has been inbreeding upon inbreeding.” All Cypriot boars were descended from only five animals, significantly reducing the genetic diversity of the population. With such limited diversity it was unlikely that the population would flourish.
The wild boar symposium, held earlier this month, was attended by international experts from over 20 countries and was described as a great success. “It was one of the most successful scientific congresses that I have ever participated in,” said Dr Peter Heise-Pavolv from Australia.
Hajisterkotis explained that even though there may not be wild boars on the island, the conference provided an opportunity for the wider and pressing issue of conservation to be discussed. “Just by having these eminent international scientists here in Cyprus allowed us to learn a lot about conservation in general.”
According to Hajisterkotis, the Cyprus Moufflon, the largest wild animal on the island, is currently under threat. “The Turkish invasion of 1974 not only caused enormous material destruction, but also burnt down, with napalm bombs, a large past of our forests. At least a third of Paphos forest was destroyed, (the only place that moufflon inhabit), and many moufflon were killed.”
Although the animal is protected by law there is evidence that, like the wild boar, the moufflon is still being hunted. The species is also threatened by the limitation of its habitat. “The fact that the moufflon only exists in the Paphos forest also threatens its survival,” concluded Hajisterkotis.
n A full report on the International wild boar symposium will be available on the ministry of interior website (www.moi.gov.cy) in the next couple of weeks