ANIMAL WELFARE groups have condemned plans to discuss an amendment to the law dealing with the trapping and poaching of birds.
The proposal was submitted to Parliament on Tuesday and is scheduled to be discussed tomorrow. The amendment seeks to reduce the fine for the trapping and illegal killing of birds and the time period for which hunting licences may be suspended when an individual is caught hunting illegally.
“Whereas under the current law you could face a very serious fine and possible court action, under the proposed amendment you would face a very light fine and no court action, no possibility of a criminal record,” said Martin Hellicar, President of Birdlife Cyprus.
The proposal was submitted to Parliament by deputies Sophocles Hadjiyiannis and Andreas Kyprianou.
Under the current law, the illegal killing of birds, such as birds of prey or game birds out of season, can lead to a fine of up to €17,000 and up to three years in prison. The proposed amendment seeks to set a €100 spot fine for both the killing of birds and the use of taped birdsong to tempt birds onto limestick and mistnet traps. The spot fines would be extrajudicial, resulting in no risk of a criminal record.
The proposed amendment also seeks to reduce the length for which hunting licences are suspended in the instance that individuals are caught in violation of the hunting laws for a second and third time.
If the amendment were to be passed it is likely that “there would be a very serious reaction from the EU,” noted Hellicar, on the basis of insufficient observation by Cyprus of Directive 79/409.
“The last time this was debated it was basically thrown out by the Parliamentary Committee,” said Martin Hellicar of the current attempt to amend the hunting laws by the two deputies.
Pantelis Hadjiyerou, Director of the Game Fund, which comes under the Interior Ministry, reiterated the government position on the hunting and the trapping of birds: “I think the Ministry has shown its willingness to prevent bird trapping by prosecuting people.
“We have prosecuted over 1,000 people in the last five years. In 2008, one family was fined €25,000,” he added.
Since 2002, enforcement action has reduced trapping levels by about 90 per cent compared to 1990s levels – when over 10 million birds are estimated to have been killed per year in a trapping “free for all”. Enforcement suffered a setback in 2007, with a spike in trapping, and this spike was maintained in 2008.
Despite the reduction in trapping in Spring 2009, the estimated trapping toll for the season remained serious, at 245,000 birds. Recoveries of threatened species (including shrikes, flycatchers and a Wryneck) reaffirmed the indiscriminate nature of the limesticks and mist nets used by the trappers.
“Trappers will find a way to continue for as long as we don’t tackle the offending restaurants, which are the financial life-blood of this illegal activity,” Hellicar said, referring to the well-known ‘delicacy’ of ambelopoulia to be found on the menus of many traditional taverns in Cyprus.
