Ministry announces awards for animal rescue

A woman whose rescue of two dogs from a cage led to their owner being convicted of animal abuse and four volunteers who saved a dog and her six puppies from a drainage pipe have been singled out in new animal welfare awards launched by the agriculture ministry.

They, the K9 unit of Emak (fire services rescue unit), two dog shelters, a cat sanctuary, a TV info campaign, and a free-range egg farm are the winners of the new awards that will be presented on March 31, the ministry said on Tuesday.

These aim to honour the work carried out by individuals and organisations to promote animal protection and welfare in Cyprus, while highlighting the important role of animals in our lives.

Cyprus faces an acute problem with abandoned animals, including a large number of hunting dogs, and overwhelmed animal welfare organisations have long been calling for more help, and tougher penalties for animal abuse and neglect.

Authorities have pointed to the recent establishment of an animal police unit and new legislation as progress, though the general consensus is that a lot more needs to be done.

In its announcement, the ministry announced awards in five different categories.

For the exceptional rescue of an animal, one award went to Michel Metziti who rescued dogs Chance and Miracle from atrocious conditions in a cage, took them to a vet and covered most of their costs. Both dogs suffered from leishmaniasis, and one was also diagnosed with kidney failure. The case went to court and a two-month suspended jail sentenced was handed down to the owner.

In the second instance Nieske De Jong, Paula Fletcher, Mark John Phillips and Sam Taylor – all volunteers at Stray Haven in Paphos — found a dog with six puppies in a drainage pipe, close to a busy road. They managed to rescue all seven – only managing to get the two last pups out by crawling into the pipe. The puppies were all sent to the UK for adoption after treatment.

The prize for exceptional service by an animal in rescuing or helping a person was awarded to Emak’s K-9 unit for its participation in August 2020 in the search and rescue team sent to Beirut after the huge explosion at the port.

Two awards were given to animal shelters – one private and one community. The winners are the Malcolm Cat Protection Society set up in 1980 by Malcolm Stevenson which cares for 200 cats at its current location in Akrotiri, and Unified, a dog shelter set up by the municipalities of Nicosia, Strovolos, Aglandjia, Engomi, Ayios Dhometios and Lakatamia in 2009. Renovated in 2015, it has to date cared for 2,566 dogs and helped find new homes for most of them.

The award for the most animal-friendly farm went to Glafcos Schizas’ free range egg farm in Evrychou. The farm has been planted with olive and pine trees, vines and seasonal vegetables and poultry roam freely over the 25 decares.

The fifth category, for information campaigns for animals, was given to the people behind CyBC’s Kita me sta matia (look me in the eyes) TV spots. The producers are MediaboxLtd. Producer Elmos Neocleous, text-narration Yiorgos Pittas, cinematography Tasos Archontides, and music Jean-Paul Sacy. The TV spots feature stories about people and animals, giving emphasis to animal shelters and drawing attention to weakness in animal protection.