BirdLife Cyprus has revealed the killing of dozens of birds in mass animal shooting.
The non-government organization released photos of several birds, which were slaughtered by hunters near Larnaca Salt Lake in the Meneou region.
The highly cruel act of violence against animals led to the death of over a hundred birds, along with at least a few dozen bee-eating birds.
According to Tassos Shialis, the campaigns coordinator of BirdLife Cyprus, this hasn’t been the only incident – or even the first. As a matter of fact, the area has been notorious for hunters going on illegal bird killing sprees. Despite incidents being reported time and again, the criminal activity has not ceased at all. Birds belonging to several protected birds and even many migratory species birds have been killed in this year already.
This is quite ironic, given as there is virtually no chance for the area in question to be anywhere close to a designated hunting area. Such areas much meet a number of criteria, not least of them being that they must be located a minimum of 500 meters from any residence. The Meneou lake completely fails this criterion, seeing as the near residential property is as little as 150 meters away, along with a plethora of coastal properties.
The slaughter incident has been reported to the relevant authorities, while the bodies of the birds have been handed to the Game Fund.