With the primary demand being the effective protection and well-being of animals, a protest event was held on Sunday afternoon under the theme “United for Animals – Our Voice Is Our Strength,” was held on Sunday afternoon at Limanaki in Kato Paphos, near the Castle.
The event was organized by Animal Supporters Cyprus and the Cyprus Party for Animals, with the participation of citizens and animal lovers, including several foreign residents of Cyprus who are active in animal protection and care.
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Sylvia Gaskó from Hungary, who has been living in Cyprus for 28 years, a representative of Animal Supporters Cyprus, noted in her remarks that citizens of other nationalities are now also participating in this effort, including Germans, Italians, and British citizens, who share the same concerns about the situation in Cyprus.
At the same time, it expressed concern that, despite the existence of several laws for the protection of animals, some of them, as she noted, remain inactive and are not enforced in practice.
For his part, the President of the Cyprus Animal Party, Kyriakos Kyriakou, who attended the protest, emphasized that the situation has worsened, making special mention of the need to staff the relevant agencies with sufficient personnel and inspectors to ensure effective monitoring and immediate intervention in cases of abuse and poisoning.
“Placing people in positions simply to serve as a figurehead, unfortunately, leads nowhere,” he noted, emphasizing that substantive action is required, not merely the formal presence of responsible officials.
He also made special mention of the role of volunteers, noting that people who devote their time and money to caring for animals cannot be expected to shoulder the responsibilities of the government and the state.
“Volunteers are not meant to replace the state and the government,” he emphasized.
Through the event, the organizers and participants sent the message that animal protection requires cooperation, effective enforcement of the law, stricter penalties, and strengthening of the relevant agencies, so that animal welfare does not remain merely on paper but becomes a reality.
Source: CNA
