Cyprus: Illegal Bird Poaching by Hobby Hunters Out of Control

The air is filled with desperate fluttering and squeaking. Amid the noise, one can hear the loud calls of two hobby hunters driving more and more birds into a widely stretched net.

The men then pluck the animals from the fine mesh with practised hands and fill them into plastic buckets.

The video footage captured by the British bird protection organisation RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is not for the faint-hearted. It was recorded in autumn 2016 on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where surveys indicate that more than 2.3 million wild birds fell victim to illegal hunting during that period alone.

Illegal Bird Hunting Throughout the Mediterranean

When migratory birds return to Germany in spring, their numbers have long since been depleted by more than just natural causes. The hunting of small birds is widespread throughout the Mediterranean — in southern France as well as on Malta, in Italy, and indeed on Cyprus too. As a stopover for migratory birds, the third-largest Mediterranean island is particularly popular.

And this proves fatal for many animals, as «Ambelopoúlia» (vineyard birds) are considered a delicacy there. Cypriots are willing to pay up to 80 euros for a portion of these songbirds, which weigh only a few grams, even though their sale has long been prohibited. According to bird conservationists, more than 150 bird species are affected by this indiscriminate and widespread hunting, 78 of which are on the EU list of endangered species.

Among the species offered in local restaurants and taverns are nightingales, blackcaps, bee-eaters, robins, willow warblers, and song thrushes. They do not appear on the menu but are traded under the counter.

Organized Crime

This alone shows that Cyprus is dealing with a kind of bird mafia, says Tassos Shialis, who coordinates the National Action Plan against illegal bird hunting as a member of the environmental organization BirdLife Cyprus. "Hunting has become an economic factor — it is essentially organized crime. That is why it is so difficult to fight against it."

Illegal hobby hunters turn over around 15 million euros per year — under the table, of course. The estimate dates from 2010 and is unlikely to have decreased since then. How many poachers are currently operating in Cyprus, Shialis cannot say — the number could run into the thousands. This includes mafia structures as well as hobby hunters who eat their own catch.

According to surveys by conservationists, last autumn they set out at least 21 kilometers of fine-mesh nets and hung up countless limed sticks. In addition, playback devices were installed. Many inedible birds also fall into the traps, including the Cyprus Wheatear, which exists only on this Mediterranean island, as well as the hoopoe and various owl species.

Acacia trees as death traps

Birds readily use these trees as staging posts, yet they are not native to Cyprus at all. Aside from their use in illegal bird hunting, they also have negative consequences for the local flora and fauna.

BirdLife Cyprus's bird conservationists are thus fighting on many fronts — and with the feeling that their efforts are largely in vain, even though they do achieve progress. In 2011, via the Council of Europe, they organized the first EU conference against illegal bird hunting and adopted the “Larnaca Declaration,” which called for zero tolerance toward the illegal hunting of birds. Moreover, laws have long been in force in Cyprus that make poaching a criminal offense.

Penalties far too low

In practice, however, they are of little real help, explains bird conservationist Tassos Shialis. "The prescribed maximum penalty for illegal bird trapping is 17’000 euros or up to three years in prison." In reality, however, no one has ever gone to prison for poaching. The fines actually imposed on caught poachers amount to a mere 600 to 800 euros. "This money is factored in — a poacher can earn up to 20’000 euros per season. If need be, he simply sets out even more nets."

Another battle concerns the acacia trees — for this, the bird protection advocates even involved the British, who maintain two large military bases in the Republic of Cyprus. Even the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles, became involved: in 2014 he called for an end to the «barbaric slaughter» of songbirds. An extra 150 soldiers were sent out to fell the acacia trees on military grounds. And immediately withdrawn again when villagers and even members of parliament from the regions concerned took to the barricades.

«Our government unfortunately makes only limited use of the available means of punishment — and the British don’t want to fall out with the Cypriots,» says Tassos Shialis. The highest penalty he knows of was imposed on a restaurant owner. He had to pay 10’000 euros for storing 2’000 songbirds in a freezer. Tourists don’t notice much of the problem, he adds. When asked whether tourists can do anything, he says: «Absolutely — but not by staying away from the island in protest.» That would bird protection a disservice and turn all Cypriots against the activities of BirdLife Cyprus.

«Rather, we are currently working with our tourism organisation to encourage people to come here for the nature and the birds as well,» says Shialis. Those who wish can lodge complaints about the poaching with the tourism organisation or hoteliers, in order to raise awareness of the issue locally.

The invitation to watch birds in Cyprus applies even without any political or environmental motivation, he adds. For in autumn and winter, many songbirds pass through the island — birds that spend spring and summer with us in Central Europe.