In Paphos, an animal rights protest took place. On Sunday evening, November 1, in the area of the picturesque harbor of Kato Paphos, next to the medieval castle, citizens, animal rights activists, and foreign residents of Cyprus gathered.
The occasion was a protest action organized by the organizations Animal Supporters Cyprus and the Animal Party of Cyprus. The main demand of the participants is not declarative, but real protection and welfare of animals.
Among the participants there were many foreigners permanently living in Cyprus and actively engaged in rescuing animals. Representative of Animal Supporters Cyprus Silvia Gashku, a Hungarian citizen who has lived on the island for 28 years, noted that Germans, Italians, and Britons who are concerned about the situation in the country are joining the movement.
Gashku expressed concern that, despite the existence of animal protection legislation, some norms remain inoperative and are not applied in practice. Chairman of the Animal Party Kyriakos Kyriakou, who was present at the action, stated that the situation has worsened and particularly pointed to the shortage of personnel and inspectors in the competent services — without this, effective control and prompt response to cases of cruelty and poisoning are impossible.
“Simply seating people in positions so that they are like a signboard, unfortunately, leads to nothing,” he emphasized, adding that real actions are needed, not the formal presence of officials.
Separately, Kyriakou dwelled on the role of volunteers: people who spend time and money caring for animals cannot take on the responsibility of the state.
“Volunteers are not there to replace the state and the authorities,” he said.
The action took place against the background of alarming statistics. According to official police data, in 2021–2025, 286 cases of cruelty to animals were recorded in Cyprus, while animal rights activists are sure that the real figure is significantly higher — many incidents simply do not reach registration. In June 2026, animal protection organizations suspended programs for the sterilization of stray cats (TNR) due to attacks on volunteers, and in October 2026 the Animal Party demanded tighter control over weapons after the killing of a cat in Paphos — 13 lead pellets were found in the animal’s body.
Source: sigmalive.com
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/pafose-proshla-akcziya-protesta-zoozashhitnikov
