THE COMMITTEE Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) was in Cyprus for the third autumn in succession in its ongoing campaign to stop illegal bird-trapping. With the help of Cyprus police, during their two-week stint, CABS members removed 4,000 lime-sticks, almost 100 mist-nets and 65 electronic lures. During these raids police arrested 16 suspected bird-trappers, the CABS co-ordinator said.
As in past years, CABS volunteers encountered threatening behaviour and some violence by locals who wanted to protect their illegal activities. Volunteers were stalked by trappers in pick-ups, attacked with metal poles and had shots fired at them during a night patrol. Two hire cars used by CABS had their tyres slashed in a hotel car park.
A couple of years ago CABS volunteers were beaten up by trappers, who appear to be a law unto themselves in the Famagusta district. They fear neither the police nor the game wardens the latter often being the targets of intimidation and threats. This is illustrated by the fact that bird-trapping remains as widespread as it has always been. At the end of last year, conservationists estimated that a record number of migratory birds had been killed in 2011 by the poachers.
Although the authorities, in particular game wardens, have been making a big effort to combat illegal bird-trapping, they are on their own. They have no backing from society or the politicians who take an ambiguous stance, at best. Then there are all the Famagusta deputies who side with the law-breakers.
A group of them recently tried, unsuccessfully, to have the law on bird-trapping changed – they proposed that bird trapping should not be classed as a criminal offence.
In July the House approved controversial amendments to the hunting law introducing relatively low on-the-spot fines for use and possession of audio devices to lure birds. The fine for possession of such a device is now €350, and if caught using it, a poacher is fined €500.
Under the original law, they would have had to face court fines of up to €17,000 and/or up to three years in jail. Could there have been a clearer message of support for the bird-trappers by lawmakers?
It gets worse. In a questionnaire given to the presidential candidates by Politis, two of them – Nicos Anastasiades and Giorgos Lillikas – said they supported the de-criminalising of bird-trapping. This was a blatant vote-buying response, disregarding the international conventions Cyprus has signed. What rational politician, who sees that criminalisation of bird-trapping has proved totally ineffective, would support de-criminalisation? It shows how committed the two presidential candidates are to the elimination of bird-trapping.
This is the crux of the problem and the reason (apart from the money) why bird-trappers continue to disregard the law, attacking and threatening conservationists. When politicians and lawmakers publicly express disagreement with the law against bird-trapping, the poachers believe that they have a right to break the law. Unless we take a clear stance against this practice as a society the poachers will remain in complete control.