Filenews 23 February 2026 - by Vassos Vassiliou
The number of dogs registered in the register kept by the Veterinary Services is small. According to official data, they total 187.425. It is noted that according to the Cyprus Society for the Protection of Animals, 250,000 dogs are abandoned every year in Cyprus.
The number of 187,425 is included in the answer of the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, to a question by AKEL MP Ms. Marina Nikolaou.
According to the minister, at the same time (with the 187,425 dogs), 50,246 dogs are registered on the electronic platform of the Game and Fauna Service. In particular, for 40.658 of them the prescribed permits have been issued, for 1.409 a declaration of loss has been submitted, for 215 a declaration of theft, while for 7.964 their death has been declared.
In addition, in the years 2023 and 2024, more than 700 persons were reported for violations of the legislation concerning hunting dogs.
It is pointed out, continues Mr. Ioannou, that in order to obtain the above number of complaints, it is estimated that at least six times the number of hunters have been checked.
In addition, in several Municipalities, on-site inspections are carried out by the Municipality's staff at least once a year in all premises applying for licensing, while in other Municipalities the inspections are carried out at regular intervals.
In the context of investigating complaints or complaints, targeted checks are carried out and relevant suggestions are provided for the provisions of the legislation. At the same time, announcements are issued from time to time and updates are provided to citizens regarding their obligations under the current legislation.
The minister also states that: "According to the existing legislation, the marking of animals is an obligation of owners from the age of six months in order to monitor, manage and protect them. However, there are often gaps in the implementation of the legislation, which leads to an increased number of undeclared and unmarked animals."
Furthermore, Mr. Ioannou states that in order to implement the legislation more strictly and to strengthen controls for the purpose of marking dogs, the Ministry of the Interior is promoting an amendment to the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game Law in order to:
(a) The marking of hunting dogs should be mandatory regardless of age
(b) The following should constitute a criminal offense:
i Failure to declare the loss of a hunting dog
ii Failure to declare the death of a hunting dog
iii Failure to declare the location of a hunting dog that is in the possession of the person who spotted it
iv Unaccompanied hunting dogs both on a hunting expedition and in the training phase.
In parallel with the above, the interconnection of the relevant electronic file of the Game and Fauna Service with that of the Veterinary Services is being promoted, an action that will enable the Services to very quickly identify the owners of dogs that are either found strays or found dead."
