Breaking the law for a meal.

Byline: Claudia Konyalian

AUTUMN 2008 saw the highest levels of illegal mist netting in five years and an increase use of limesticks, with some 776,000 birds killed in one season.

Despite the high death toll, the latest report into the illegal trapping of birds by BirdLife Cyprus also shows that public awareness and opposition to the practice is on the rise.

Executive Manager of BirdLife Cyprus Martin Hellicar said that while there have been huge improvements since the 1990s, when the estimated trapping toll was up to ten million birds per year, the current numbers also represent "an unacceptably high toll".

"The problem is still very much there," he said. "We have to be fair and acknowledge the efforts of the Game Fund a" we mustn't underestimate the danger involved in the task of the field work."

But while these efforts are quite adequate, he said, only increased political will to enforce the law and punish the practice will stop it completely.

BirdLife Cyprus is the Cyprus representative of BirdLife International a" a globally active conservation organisation that operates in over 100 countries and territories worldwide and is the recognised global authority on birds. The organisation ran a newspaper advertising campaign during autumn 2008 to raise awareness on the issue of illegal bird trapping in Cyprus.

"Bird trapping in Cyprus is an indiscriminate and illegal practice that threatens many bird species of conservation priority for the EU," the report states. Apart from being illegal, the ecological concern is that mist nets and limesticks capture other 'non-target' birds as well, often endangered species. Moreover, the numbers captured by these methods are huge and unsustainable, drastically harming the population balance of each species.

However the demand for the birds, usually the blackcap warbler or ambelopouli, remains high in restaurants, and it is this demand, and the lack of related punishment, that is driving the illegal trapping and selling of birds.

It is illegal not only to use mist nets and limesticks to indiscriminately catch birds, but to sell them and eat them as well. "Never has the full force of the penalties provided by the relevant law (a fine of up to [euro]17,000 and/or imprisonment of up to three years) been utilised," the report states.

No one has ever been punished for eating them either, Hellicar said, adding that the main problem lies with the lack of a crackdown on the restaurants serving the birds.

Bought for around [euro]2 or more each, depending on how fat they are, a dozen ambelopoulia served in a restaurant costs around [euro]50, making the business a lucrative one for the hunter and the restaurateur alike.

Moreover independent polls and surveys carried out indicate that the current government is less willing to crackdown. The report states the case of one confessed trapper, who, when "interviewed by a member of the BirdLife field team claimed he had been told by a Game Fund officer that he would not face prosecution 'if I stick to limesticks only and don't use tape lures [that play birdsong to attract the birds to the glue traps] with my sticks'."

According to the report, last November the bird trapping issue was discussed again at the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in Strasburg, after a set of strong recommendations were adopted in 2001 aiming to halt the practice in Cyprus.

"The Cyprus government stated to the committee meeting that illegal killing and consumption of birds was difficult to eradicate because it was based on traditional practice," states the report.

It is indeed a long-running tradition in Cyprus, going back several hundred years, Hellicar said. "But there were no nets then, no calling devices, and it was probably sustainable at the time, and perhaps a necessary part of people's diets," he said. "But there are many new pressures on bird species today, including that of habitat loss and we have plenty of other types of meat to choose from. The practice is not sustainable any longer," he said. "It simply can't be excused."

For those who are keen hunters, there are over 30 species that can be hunted during the autumn and winter seasons. These include wood pidgeons, turtledoves, chukar partridges, song thrushes, several species of duck, and hares.

BirdLife Cyprus has recently been cooperating with KUSKOR, a north Cyprus bird protection society, to monitor bird trapping activities in the occupied areas. Surveys in the Karpasia peninsula showed that bird trapping, mostly with limesticks, was a common practice.

Birds are sold for between 4 and 6 YTL (about [euro]1 to [euro]2) to middlemen, who in turn supply restaurants in the Famagusta area and surrounding villages, and also smuggle the birds south of the green line. "KUSKOR volunteers were told trapping activity was increasing in the Karpas area a" with even recent settlers from mainland Turkey learning the 'trade' a" because the market was so ready," the report states.

For more information about BirdLife Cyprus, and to view the full report, visit their website at www.birdlifecyprus.org

REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS

BirdLife concludes with the following recommendations, summarised from the original report:

1. urgent need for a serious crackdown on restaurants serving ambelopoulia;

2. urgent need for increased manpower of enforcement bodies, with a focus on 'border areas' between SBA and Cyprus Republic jurisdictions, and increased co-operation between the two;

3. a continued push to generate top-level political support for the above actions, including at the European level;

4. continued efforts to raise awareness through the media in order to mobilise active public pressure to generate the necessary political will; Game Fund and SBA Police should publicise their anti-trapping and poaching efforts more often;

5. imposition of penalties for trapping and sale/consumption of ambelopoulia offences;

6. continued surveillance, particularly of limesticks, though main focus must remain on detecting netting activity.

FACEBOOK

BirdLife Cyprus reports on their discovery of two open groups for 'ambelopoulia fans' on the popular internet social networking site Facebook.

Open for anyone to join, members appear to be revealing their real names, along with their photos. One page states ambelopoulia are best "boiled or fried with eggs or barbequed" while another asks, "I don't imagine the Game Fund will arrest us, will they?"

The second group named the 'Ambelopoulia Appreciation Society' has over 70 members and describe themselves as follows: "We believe that ambelopoulia are a divine delicacy, especially with the traditional pourgouri. The European Union is infringing our human rights as it prohibits this! All ambelopoulia lovers are made out to be common criminals by absurd laws!"

Further statements by other members include:

"Who cares if they have too much fat (or if they're illegal for that matter), bring me a dozen."

"They are very nice. Who cares about the fat and cholesterol?"

"I have some at my house, do you think I will get arrested if I bring some with me in the UK?" with the answer: "I see that the entire Paralimni area eats them. You might get arrested but it is worth it, I brought thrushes over with me last time."

Copyright [c] Cyprus Mail 2009

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company