Residents outraged as mouflon statue desecrated

Residents of the Lefka district have reacted angrily after a mouflon statue in the village of Karavostasi was desecrated.

Lefka Tourism Association chairman Hasan Karlitas said on Friday that the statue had been “deliberately damaged in an attack by ignorant people.”

He said “I don’t know where we can go with people who pollute the environment, ignore the arts, don’t know culture, and don’t think about the future”.

He added that a complaint had been filed with the police, and that the statue will be replaced “as soon as possible”.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, he said “we must give due importance to the environment, to culture, and to the arts.

“Our association will replace the statue as soon as possible,” he said.

He said it had taken “great effort” to erect the statue in 2021, and that it had “become an icon in a short time”.

On Friday morning, members of non-governmental organisations staged a protest against the statue’s desecration, joined by Lefka Mayor Aziz Kaya.

The Cyprus mouflon is a subspecies of wild sheep which is unique to the island, and is a much beloved symbol of Cyprus.