Employees of the Paphos Forestry and Game Department recently discovered several wire loops in the forest near the village of Arminou. The place was under surveillance.
As a result of the observation, a local resident was noticed who came to check and correct the installed hinges. He was arrested on the spot and his home was searched. Two more traps were found in the car and one at home.
The poacher was going to catch and sell the mouflon. On the black market, its meat can cost around 100 euros per kilogram. For illegal actions he was fined 23,500 euros.
Mouflon is a protected species according to the European Union directive. Cyprus has been home to an endemic subspecies of Ovis orientalis for thousands of years, which Cypriots call “agrino”. It is believed to be a wild descendant of sheep. In the 1930s, due to hunting, only a few dozen of them remained. Nowadays in Cyprus their number reaches 3000.
The Game Department also closely monitors the hunting season for wood pigeon (a type of pigeon). The season begins on August 25, and violators who started hunting ahead of time have already been caught. It is also punishable to throw away cartridges and cartridges that pollute the environment.
The text was prepared based on materials from Sigma and the Forestry Department
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The Department of Game and Fauna asks the public not to feed mouflon calves, which can be found in Troodos and Paphos Forest. Why - read the link.
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