Authorities have stepped up their fight against illegal bird trapping, issuing fines of €239,770 and securing the conviction of 55 suspects following reports released on Thursday.

The Committee to Combat the Slaughter of Birds (CABS) has published new data detailing the scale of its activities between September 10 and November 25.

According to CABS, two to four field teams worked daily during the autumn migration period to identify active trapping sites across the island.

Together with the police and the Wildlife Protection Service, conservationists conducted 75 joint operations aimed at both illegal hunters and hunters who violate the rules of wildlife protection.

Authorities seized or destroyed 1,547 lime traps, 137 fog nets and 89 electronic devices for luring birds.

One of the biggest investigations of the season, Operation Dead Air, was conducted by British television journalists Chris Pack and Megan McCubbin.

The campaign uncovered industrial capture in a fenced valley near Maroni, where footage was captured of masked men threatening activists.

After Peck and McCubbin publicly accused the local authorities of inaction, the police opened criminal cases and executed several search warrants, which led to significant seizures of dead protected birds and fines of €157,000 related to the so-called “Trikkis” gangs.

CABS praised the actions of the police, noting a faster response and a more resolute stance against long-standing poaching networks.

“We are pleased to finally see that the police are taking decisive action against criminals who have been ‘untouchable’ for so many years,” said Karl—Heinz Kreutzer, president of CABS, adding that the season had “made it clear” that offenders would be punished.

The NGO claims that the increased control represents one of the most effective anti-poaching operations in Cyprus in recent years.

https://russiancyprus.news/news/society/police-crackdown-on-illegal-bird-trappings/