Filenews 12 November 2025 - by Theodora Nikolaou
About 2000 animals are in danger of being left on the street, which are housed in the Paphos Animal Shelter, which is closing after almost 40 years of operation. The volunteers are sending out an alarm signal and asking for help from the people and the state, in order to find either a place to move the shelter or a way to rescue the animals it hosts. Having now lost all hope, as they emphasize there is no other way out and the shelter is closing permanently, they are protesting on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 10 a.m. outside the Paphos District Court.
In her statements to philenews, the head of volunteerism and education of the shelter, Irini Diamantopoulou, stated that "the Refuge has been operating for the last about 40 years on land which was granted by the 2-3 owners for the needs of the volunteers. Now the owners want their land back. For a long time we have been waiting for some response, someone to help us to move the shelter and all the animals safely. All other shelters are overcrowded and cannot accept other animals."
It hosts donkeys, horses, dogs, cats...
According to Ms. Diamantopoulou, the Shelter currently houses about 2000 animals. About 150 are donkeys and horses, while the rest are dogs, cats, goats, bunnies, hedgehogs, pig rabbits and a pony named Jessica. Many of them have survived neglect, abuse and abandonment and have found safety, love and stability within the shelter.
To the question "what will happen to these animals when the Shelter closes", Ms. Diamantopoulou has no answer. "This is also our question. We are trying to see what will happen. The shelter will be closed, there is no way out. We can't do anything else," he says. "We are asking for help from the people. Either to give us some space or some financial help to move the shelter because by law it must meet certain conditions," he states.
Protest event
To this end, as he states, "the volunteers of the shelter are organizing a protest on Friday to make people understand that the shelter is closing and that everyone must assume their responsibilities and we mean the community councils and the provinces, so that the shelters that operate voluntarily can breathe".
The volunteers announced that they will hold a peaceful protest on November 14 at 10 a.m. outside the Paphos District Court. In a statement, they say that for years they have been working non-stop, day and night, often with limited resources, to offer food, medical care and comfort to every animal that passes through the gates of the shelter. "We have created strong bonds of trust and love. To see these animals now being removed without a clear plan for their welfare or future is catastrophic," they say and call on the authorities and the public to immediately stop this removal, until there are proper, transparent and humane solutions, adding that the welfare of these animals must be above all.
We ask, they note, "for the support of society, to stand by us, to raise your voice and to show compassion for the thousands of innocent lives that depend on us. Help us protect them and ensure they remain safe, cared for, and loved." "These animals are not numbers — they are lives we have promised to protect," the volunteers emphasize.
"They are being victimized for the second time"
In a statement, the Party for the Animals of Cyprus, states that "it is close to and siding with the managers of the shelter in Paphos. A refuge with history, a refuge that was 'used' and 'used' by municipalities and communities."
While - as he notes - it suited everyone, and the local government now that we have reached the point of five, no one assumes the serious responsibilities that stem from the relevant legislation on dogs law 184 (I) 2002 and according to article 7.-(1) "The competent authority is obliged to maintain approved and suitable premises for the keeping of dogs". The Party for the Animals of Cyprus criticizes the competent authorities but also the state itself, the parliament as well as the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare, saying that they have tragically failed, because to date they have not been able either to implement the legislation, but also not even to date and after 23 years to vote for the changes to the law on dogs.
The Party for the Animals of Cyprus announces that it will be present in support of the protest event, so that - as it says - "we will all ask for the obvious".
They ask for the suspension of the court's decree
According to the Party, there is a court decree calling on the managers of the shelter to leave it immediately and together with 2000 animals they will have to leave the site as well. The Party for the Animals of Cyprus immediately calls on the government, and the judiciary to suspend the relevant decree and "with a concerted effort by all of us to find those solutions so as not to victimize the innocent animals for the second time, which are there due to our own irresponsibility and the way we manage the innocent animals, who were not to blame for anything."
In conclusion, the Party addresses the President of the Republic saying that our country will take over the presidency of the EU in less than 50 days, and that the image we project is that our country is not European and that "it is not the island of love, but of mismanagement and animal abuse".
Ecologists are preparing a letter to the PtD
In turn, the Movement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation expresses its deep concern about the closure of the Paphos animal shelter and the removal of about 2,000 animals from their shelter.
"The shelter currently houses cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, ponies, rabbits, goats and other animals - many of which come from confiscations or have been collected as strays by local authorities. After the decree for the closure of the shelter and while the issue has seen the light of day, no state or local authority has announced what actions it intends to take to find a new place to relocate the animals," it adds in a relevant announcement.
The coordinator of the Movement's Animal Action Group, Ms. Anthi Mouzouri, states that: "The protection and welfare of animals is the sole responsibility of the state and especially of the Local Authorities. Shelter animals are not objects, they are living beings with a right to life and prosperity. The state and especially the Local Authorities must assume their responsibilities and immediately announce a plan for the safe transport of animals to a suitable place, where they will live with care and dignity. Society and the animal-loving world will not accept any solution that endangers their lives."
The Action Group for Animals, together with a delegation of the Movement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation, will be at the protest, actively supporting the just struggle for the lives of the animals of the shelter. At the same time, an official letter will be sent to the President of the Republic, as well as to all stakeholders, requesting that a place to stay for the animals be ensured, at the same time that time needs to be given until this new space is secured. Information letters about the incident will also be sent to international organizations and competent bodies abroad. Finally, the Movement calls for "finally those political decisions to be taken and for a substantial Action Plan for Animals to be drawn up, so that real animal welfare can finally become a reality in European Cyprus".
