A 55-year-old man was arrested on Friday evening during a police operation targeting illegal hunting in Cyprus, police said on Saturday.

He is expected to appear before Nicosia district court later on Saturday for a remand.

The arrest, by Morphou police, followed coordinated searches by the police and the game and fauna service in several homes, premises, and vehicles across the Morphou and Limassol districts.

The operation was part of a wider campaign to prevent and combat poaching offences.

During the searches, officers discovered a large amount of wildlife and related evidence.

The game and fauna service reported that two mouflon skulls, three hares, seven partridges, five francolins, and more than 1,000 dead wild birds were found.

Authorities also located about 29 kilograms of frozen meat, limesticks, and various other items believed to be linked to poaching including 47 metal traps used to catch wild birds, a bird-trapping net, and three electronic devices capable of emitting bird calls.

Investigators further found six hunting guns, including one that appeared to have been modified, along with a quantity of cartridges.

All the items were taken in as evidence.

Police and the game and fauna service are continuing their joint investigation into the case.