Efforts underway to trap stray dog pack roaming linear park

Traps have been set around the linear park in Nicosia that stretches to Lakatamia to try and catch a small pack of stray dogs, a representative of the capital’s municipality Michalis Papadakis said on Friday.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Papadakis said that the small pack roaming the linear park is made up five dogs that had most likely been abandoned by their owners.

The dogs have been in the park for some time, with the last encounter being back in March. However, another incident occurred over the weekend, when the dogs reportedly barked at other dog owners, who got scared and rushed away, as they felt the dogs might attack.

However, Papadakis clarified that the pack of dogs has never attacked anyone, since they had taken up residence in the park, and only bark defensively.

“If you throw a stone in their direction, they get scared and run away,” he said.

Commenting on what is being done, Papadakis said that the municipalities of Strovolos, Nicosia, and Lakatamia are all cooperating to help trap the dogs.

He added, however, that it is a difficult task to trap them, due to the size of the park and the difficult terrain, where the dogs might be.

“The goal is trap them. If they are caught they will be given to a shelter, where a trainer will work to socialise them,” he said.

The pack first appeared back in December, and since then authorities have been working to trap them.