The Police and the Environment Department of the British Bases (BB) have been conducting joint operations since January against the illegal training of hunting dogs in protected areas in Akrotiri, Episkopi, and Paramali.
According to a ?? statement, the training of hunting dogs within the Special Protection Zones in the BB is prohibited under the Hunting and Wild Birds Law, as these areas are considered among the most important habitats in Cyprus for migratory species and for species that breed in the region.
As explained by BB’s Senior Environmental Officer, Alexia Perdiou, ‘many of these species nest on the ground or in low vegetation and are particularly vulnerable to disturbance.’
‘Although enforcement efforts focus on the most sensitive protected areas, the public is reminded that training hunting dogs is prohibited throughout the entire BB territory and out-of-court fines are imposed,’ she continued.
‘Training hunting dogs can have particularly serious consequences. Dogs moving through natural habitats may disturb breeding birds, causing them to abandon their nests and leaving eggs and chicks exposed to predators. Repeated disturbance may eventually force birds to abandon important nesting areas entirely,” Perdiou said.
“This is of particular concern in the months following the end of the hunting season, when hunting dog training activities often coincide with the nesting period of many species of wild birds,’ she further noted.
BB Sergeant Antonis Demetriou, pointed out that violators are subject to an out-of-court fine of pound 300 or, if convicted, face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to pound 3,417, or both penalties.
‘Drones and other specialised equipment are being used to monitor large areas of natural habitats affected by illegal activity, and we will continue our joint operations while urging hunters to avoid training dogs in these areas, in order to protect important bird species and their habitats,’ he added.
Any illegal dog training activity should be reported to the BB Police at 1443, the statement concludes.