A fenced area owner has been reported seven times in just one year for illegal trapping of wild birds, which proves that out-of-court fines and existing penalties do not act as a deterrent against organized networks that make huge profits and prey on wildlife.
At the same time that the Poaching Unit of the MMAD is conducting systematic operations against large trappers of wild birds, the parliamentary committee on the Environment is today urgently needing to tighten the measures, refer repeat offenders to Justice and strengthen the prosecuting authorities.
This particular case brings to the fore two important dimensions of the problem. On the one hand, it seems that the Poaching Unit of the MMAD systematically denounces the large and professional trappers of wild birds.
On the other hand, however, there are a number of problems in the context of efforts to combat poaching in Cyprus, such as the imposition of low and therefore non-dissuasive fines and extrajudicial fines, which are disproportionate to the profits made by wildlife crime rings, the non-prosecution, mainly in a serial manner, of offenders before the Courts for offenses for which the current legislation It even provides for a prison sentence of up to 3 years, as well as the inadequate investigation of possible obtaining illegal income from illegal activities.
During today's meeting of the Committee, the discussion on the topic "The impact of the action of specific activist organizations and activists active in the field of the environment and the assessment of the need to take measures to address the phenomenon" is expected to continue. This issue was registered for ex officio examination following a recommendation by ELAM MPs, Linos Papagiannis and Linos Ioannis Hatzigeorgiou, on 1/7/2026.
At the same time, however, with the discussion of the item registered by the ELAM MPs, which started on 16/8/2026, another item has been added to the agenda of today's session, "The operation and further strengthening of the Poaching Unit and the need to take effective measures to prevent and combat poaching". The additional item for discussion was registered for ex officio examination following the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment, as early as 26/1/2022.
It is noted that, according to an announcement issued by the Police last Sunday, as part of the actions to combat poaching, members of the Poaching Unit of MMAD, carried out an operation on 20/09/2026 in an area of the province of Larnaca, during which, in an area where hunting is prohibited, 3 sound-producing devices to imitate the voices of wild birds and 7 trapping nets were found in operation. In the networks, 103 wild birds were found trapped, which were alive and released into their natural habitat, as well as 12 dead wild birds.
Based on sources of "F", in the specific area of the province of Larnaca, the Poaching Unit of the MMAD filed a complaint against the owner of a fenced area for poaching 6 more times, from the beginning of October 2025 to mid-September 2026.
In a police announcement, dated 03/10/2025, it is stated that members of the Police carried out a search with a court warrant in a person's house in Dali, Nicosia district, as well as in a fenced area in Agios Theodoros, Larnaca district.
During the search, 5 wild bird trapping nets, 952 dead wild birds and 817 plastic white containers, which are used for packaging wild birds, were found in the house in Dali, Nicosia district, and confiscated as evidence, among other things. In the fenced area in Agios Theodoros in the province of Larnaca, 11 set up trapping nets for wild birds were located and confiscated, on which there were 297 wild birds, of which 149 were dead and 147 were alive and released, as well as 2 imitation machines which produced imitative sounds of wild birds.
During the search, a person who was wearing a hood entered the fenced area and tried to escape at the sight of the police. After he was immobilized by the members of the Police, he was searched and a quantity of cannabis was found in his possession and he was arrested for a flagrante delicto. In a subsequent investigation, 1 single-barreled hunting gun, 181 full double-barreled hunting cartridges, 2 mimetic devices and 2 killed wild birds were found inside a vehicle that was allegedly driven by the specific person.
During the operation, a vehicle owned by another person was stopped outside the fenced area, in which 30 full double-barreled shotgun cartridges and 3 knives were found and confiscated. The person in question was arrested for a flagrante delicto.
Thousands of euros in fines, but relapses continue
As stated in an earlier report by "F", dated 20/10/2025, the owner of the house in Dali, Nicosia district, was fined €17,000 and the owner of the fenced area in Agios Theodoros, Larnaca, was fined €13,000.
In a police announcement, dated 12/10/2025, it is stated that a coordinated operation was carried out to combat poaching, during which the Police carried out a search in a fenced orchard in the province of Larnaca, where 6 installed trapping nets with 83 live wild birds were found, which were released. 87 dead wild birds, 2 nets, 1 improvised sound device connected to an amplifier and 2 loudspeakers, as well as 1 car battery, were also located and confiscated. The owner was located inside the fenced area, who was fined out of court.
In a police announcement, dated 25/10/2025, it is stated that a search was carried out in a fenced field in the province of Larnaca by members of the Police, during which 11 nets were found, of which 7 were installed, 7 dead wild birds and 2 devices emitting imitative voices of wild birds. Members of the Game and Fauna Service were called to the scene, while 26 wild birds were released from the installed networks. An out-of-court fine was imposed against the owner.
Based on sources of "F", on 02/11/2025, in the same fenced orchard in the province of Larnaca, 10 wild bird trapping nets were located and confiscated, while a new out-of-court fine was imposed against the owner.
Three complaints in 13 days
In a police announcement, dated 08/09/2026, it is stated that as part of the actions to combat poaching, members of the Poaching Unit of the MMAD, carried out an operation in an area of the province of Larnaca, during which, in an area where hunting is prohibited, 1 sound-producing device for imitating the voices of wild birds and 5 trapping nets were found in operation. 17 wild birds were found trapped in the nets, which were alive and released into their natural habitat. From the examinations that followed, the owner was identified, who, when interrogated, admitted to committing the offenses under investigation. In a relevant police announcement dated 12/09/2026, it is stated that the Kofinos Regional Police Station, in cooperation with the Game and Fauna Service, issued the owner an out-of-court fine of €13,500.
Based on sources from "F", on 16/09/2026, in the same fenced orchard in the province of Larnaca, 2 wild bird trapping nets were located and confiscated, while a new out-of-court fine of €5,000 was issued against the owner.
In total, the same person was reported 7 times for the same offences in one year, during which dozens of wild bird trapping nets were found in his possession, along with several other illegal trapping means, as well as hundreds of dead and live wild birds.
