Customs operations are divided into two categories, depending on the type and origin of the animals, said George Konstantinou, Press Spokesperson for the Customs Department, speaking on the Alpha News program, referring to an incident recorded in 2022, when animals were imported and eventually transferred to the Paphos Zoo.
Mr. Konstantinou explains that companion animals are defined as cats, dogs, and ferrets, which a traveler may bring along even in the aircraft cabin, or transport as cargo in the aircraft’s cargo hold.
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“In this case, the animals—provided they belong to private individuals and are their own pets—will be placed in the cargo hold or kept with the travelers as they pass through the green or red channel. They will declare them there at customs. The relevant documentation for the animals—the pets—will be inspected, provided they are accompanied by them.”
“When they arrive from European countries, our officials verify that they are fully vaccinated and have a microchip for tracking, and they will release them,” he adds.
“If they are from third countries, then the on-duty veterinary officer is called in and may either place them in quarantine or administer any vaccinations deemed appropriate for pets.”
The second category may involve wilder or rarer animals, with Mr. Konstantinou explaining that there is a procedure that must be followed, and this procedure involves obtaining prior approval from the veterinary services so that one can proceed with the actual process of transporting the animals from other countries to the Republic of Cyprus, and once the animals arrive, they are transferred to appropriate facilities where they can be inspected by the veterinary services.
“For any animals in this category to leave the airport or port, they must first be inspected, and the necessary documentation from the veterinary services must confirm that they have been inspected and that their transport to the Republic of Cyprus has been authorized. If this authorization from the veterinary services is not provided, Customs will not permit the animals to be removed from the premises.”
“As you can understand, the warehouses—whether they belong to Customs or to private companies involved in the transport of goods—are not suitable for the animals to remain there for a long period of time, but only for a few hours,” he adds.
“Unless the Veterinary Services give the green light, no animal is moved from the Customs premises,” Mr. Konstantinou clarifies.
When asked if there had ever been a case where the procedure had to be initiated and specific actions were required, Mr. Konstantinou refers to an incident in 2022 involving Melios Zoo.
“The most recent case we had, which was recorded in 2022, was precisely such a case involving Mr. Menelaos, who had brought in a number of animals, and attempted to bring at least a number of animals from a third country, Qatar; the plane carrying the animals had arrived, and among these animals were giraffes, which the Veterinary Service did not permit to be imported or transported, at least to Mr. Menelaos’s premises. I imagine this was the procedure—including approval of the facility to determine if it was suitable—which is why these animals were not permitted to be transported to Mr. Menelaou’s facilities.”
He adds that customs proceeded with the seizure of the animals, and that—clearly for reasons of health and welfare—arrangements were made in cooperation with the Veterinary Clinic, and these animals were transferred to a suitable locationat the Paphos Zoo, where the animals remained for their care.
Regarding the “captive animals” mentioned by Mr. Menelaou, Mr. Konstantinou clarifies that if the animals in question are those living freely in the wild, the Department of the Environment is also involved.
