In a bid to highlight the practice of bird trapping in Cyprus, well-known British naturalist and anti-wildlife-crime campaigner Chris Packham has produced a documentary, which was released this week.
‘Cyprus: Massacre on migration’ is another reminder that the slaughter is rampant on the island.
An estimated 2.5m birds die every year in Cyprus as the result of being caught in nets or on lime sticks, far more than in all other European countries.
The short documentary is a touching account of Packham’s visit to Cyprus in autumn 2016 when he was involved in freeing birds from traps – an activity not without dangers.
The naturalist and a small group of activists from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (Cabs) moved at night because they didn’t want to meet any trappers.
“These guys are a bit more hardcore than the people we mixed with in Malta,” Packham explained. “Andrea and other members of Cabs have had their tires slashed, were shot at and even beaten with poles by the trappers.”
The reasons for this are explained in the documentary. For one, blackcaps are a delicacy in Cypriot restaurants which means there is a yearly profit of €15m.
“When there is money involved, there is organised crime,” the campaigner said. “That is why it is so dangerous – these people are proper criminals.”
He goes on to explain that there is also no political will to tackle the problem as a lot of votes are at stake while many politicians openly support the crime.
The best argument of the documentary is probably the filming of how the activists remove the little delicate birds from the nets, a painstaking task which takes several minutes for each bird.
59 Comments
LMS
April 13, 2017 at 20:47I was shocked by the treatment that Chris Packham received in Malta, but he describes the Cypriot, mouth breathing, knuckle dragging bird trappers as being at a whole new level.
Cyprus should capitalise on this and use it in tourist promotions.
Wildlife slaughter hub!!
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 22:10One of many hubs!
Veritas
April 13, 2017 at 20:20It’s absolutely astonishing that this primitive “tradition” is still continuing and without any serious effort by our authorities to put an end to it.
Of course we know why.
northmoorpaul
April 13, 2017 at 15:21I still cannot understand why the SBA police and authorities allow this to go on. We need to forward a link of the video to all our friends and politicians to remind them of how primitive and corrupt the Cypriots are.
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 20:44There is only so much the SBA police can do but how much is the government doing, when MPs themselves eat ampellapoullia
divadi bear
April 14, 2017 at 09:44Neroli
…..and trap and shoot them !
divadi bear
April 14, 2017 at 09:43northmoorpaul
Please, do not write: “…….of how primitive and corrupt the Cypriots are”.
Some, yes….ALL No !
No_Name12
April 13, 2017 at 14:57There is another good one that came a few years ago named “Cyprus’s Songbird Massacre: The Politics of Food”. Its on youtube.
Adele
April 13, 2017 at 22:00Yes your right.
Slomi
April 13, 2017 at 14:42Pathetic.
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 15:16This country is pathetic, totally lawless and rampant with the underworld
Muchacho
April 13, 2017 at 18:32This is despicable and very primitive behavior. I do wonder why you live here though if you hate the country so much?
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 20:42Have you read all the other comments or you just pick on mine?? Have you read the other articles on the thugs cutting down the trees, the underworld gangs like Kalapsidiotis etc. Get a life and look at this country , it gets worse by the day , and many of the comments on this forum are by Cypriots who mostly agree with me
Adele
April 13, 2017 at 21:45Sometimes the truth hurts Neroli but remember most comments are from people who don’t live here and haven’t got a clue.
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 22:08That’s true Adele
Muchacho
April 13, 2017 at 22:05I also agree with many of these things but I don’t call this country pathetic. If that’s how you truly feel then why live here?
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 22:09Some times I do wonder why I live here! Do you every go to another country and see the difference?
Muchacho
April 13, 2017 at 22:14I’ve lived and worked in many countries and I chose to live in Cyprus for the foreseeable future. It does indeed have many problems but I’ve lived in worse places and wouldn’t describe the whole country as pathetic.
Neroli
April 13, 2017 at 22:54Pathetic – I was being too kind!
Gold51
April 13, 2017 at 23:11Leave then. What holds down.
Neroli
April 14, 2017 at 08:25Mind you’re own business you don’t even live here!
divadi bear
April 14, 2017 at 09:49Muchacho
The country is not pathetic, it is the “government”, and many every-day- G-Cypriots who are.