“We went down in the morning; the dogs caught the rabbit—they were looking for it—and we called out to them to play with it. It was a good start, thank God; we’ll go out again now—maybe we’ll have one or two more runs—and God willing, there’s Wednesday, and Sunday again.”
Hunter
There was a massive turnout of hunters—more than 35,000 enthusiasts of the sport—who set out for the first Sunday of the hunting season for hares, partridges, and quails.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
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“Our agency, in cooperation with the police, began inspections on Saturday afternoon and will continue them until late at night—first to guide hunters hunters to practice their sport and, second, to intervene wherever necessary to combat poaching. So far, several inspections have been carried out; some hunters are satisfied, while others are not. “That’s how hunting is—some are lucky, and others are unlucky.”
George Onoufriou – Senior Game Warden, Nicosia Game Service
Hunters’ Statements
“There was plenty of game, but we were unlucky. There were lots of hares where we went; we bagged one, but it got away.
Hunter
“I bagged three partridges this morning, and now we’re heading out to set up a decoy with some kids. We’ll take a break and then go back.”
Hunter
“We found a hare—all right, no big deal.”
Hunter
“Are you happy?”
Journalist
“We’re doing great, thank God. I wish it could always be like this.”
Hunter
During inspections by the Game and Wildlife Service, two individuals were found without hunting licenses, four hunters who had their firearms inside their vehicles but not in their cases, and one hunter who exceeded the permitted bag limit—instead of four partridges, he left with seven.
Another hunter failed to report his bag, as required by the Artemis CY app. Meanwhile, a hunter was also reported after his dogs were found outside the permitted hunting area.
Hunters say that game birds are becoming scarcer year by year.
“I won’t talk about all the areas; I’ll talk about the area I walked through today. This place used to be the ‘partridge mother’ of the region—in other words, there were countless partridges. Today, the hunters mentioned above are from Limassol and Nicosia; they’ve come to know this area, and every year it’s teeming with game—which means that hunting isn’t just becoming scarce, it’s disappearing.”
Hunter
Others, waiting patiently with their fingers on the trigger, reaped the rewards with their catch.
“Our group bagged 6 partridges and 3 francolins.”
Hunter
“The weather is good; it let us go hunting. Hunting is our hobby—we just have to be careful.”
Hunter
At 9 a.m. in Paphos, specifically in the village of Kidasi, a hunter fell into a 3-meter ravine and, with the assistance of the police and the fire department, was rescued and transported to Paphos General Hospital. There, he received medical treatment for minor injuries and is out of danger.
READ ALSO: Person Trapped in a 50-meter-Deep Ravine in Paphos; Police Investigating | AlphaNews
Hunting of game animals will be permitted every Sunday and Wednesday until December 27.
Watch the report by Kleio Vourkou:
