An appeal was issued to the approximately 17,000 hunters expected to head out on Sunday to exercise extreme caution due to the risk of fire, in statements made to CNA on Saturday by the Cyprus Federation of Hunting and Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forests.
The Department of Forests will be on high alert, with increased patrols and additional personnel, while the Federation urged hunters to prioritize safety over the hunt.
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The Forestry Department’s Biodiversity Officer, Haris Nikolaou, said that forest stations and fire lookout posts will be on standby, while the Department’s vehicles, including fire trucks, will be deployed in the countryside to respond immediately in the event of a fire.
He urged hunters who had arrived the previous evening at the so-called “hunting posts,” not to light fires in the countryside and, if they wish to prepare food, to use one of the more than 40 designated picnic areas.
He also pointed out that smokers must thoroughly extinguish and safely dispose of their cigarette butts, while empty cartridges must be collected and removed, as required by the Law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game.
“Even just one or two people who fail to follow the instructions can cause great destruction,” he warned, noting that due to high temperatures, a fire can easily break out and spread rapidly.
He emphasized that response time is critical and urged anyone who notices smoke or a fire to immediately call 112 or 1407.
Mr. Nikolaou also stated that the Forestry Department will prepare a proposal to reschedule this particular hunting season within September, starting next season, when temperatures will be milder and the risk of fire reduced. The proposal will be submitted for consultation with organized hunting groups, the Game and Wildlife Service, and the Ministry of the Interior.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Cyprus Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Federation, Spyros Spyrou, wished everyone “a good and safe hunting season” and called on hunters to comply with the law and unwritten rules, to respect private property, and to collect their spent cartridges and other trash.
He noted that last winter’s heavy rainfall had resulted in the growth of dense wild vegetation and urged hunters to be on the lookout for potentialfire hazards.
According to Mr. Spyrou, approximately 17,000 hunters are expected to take to the fields, a number that has remained stable in recent years, while each hunter averages three out of the five permitted hunting trips.
During the first hunting trips, hunting of the woodcock, the wild pigeon, the Eurasian woodcock, and the Eurasian teal is permitted. Hunting for turtle doves and quail is prohibited during the first two hunting trips and will be permitted starting September 2; the fine for illegally hunting them is €2,000.
Hunters are also required to report their catch through the “Artemis” system and use it to check which areas are open for hunting.
Mr. Spyrou said that the feral pigeon is a highly adaptable species, found even within cities, and that its population in Cyprus has increased. In its natural habitats, however, the population is more scattered due to the abundance of food resulting from heavy rainfall, while overall game numbers are considered satisfactory, particularly in mountainous areas.
He described the practice of placing bait to attract partridges as incorrect, as the concentration of many hunters in the same spot poses safety risks and can lead to altercations. This practice, he added, could act as a nutritional or ecological trap for other species.
He identified the ongoing reduction in available hunting areas due to wildfires and development within habitats as a key problem. He noted that a large area in the Limassol district was lost in recent fires, while hunting grounds are further restricted by residential developments and solar farms.
Finally, finally, his hope that the new bill would help address the problems facing hunting and called on the government to promote it, along with fostering the necessary hunting education. He also referred to poaching and the need to control predators, particularly foxes, whose population, he said, is very large in these habitats.
Source: CNA
