Bird hunting in Cyprus

Hare and bird hunting are still part of the culture in Cyprus. Figures fluctuate from year to year, but there are around 45,000 officially licensed hunters in Cyprus. I was on a Sunday walk when I saw three hunters.

The Cyprus Government has strict rules with regards to what wildlife can be hunted, where the hunting can take place, what species are protected, and when it can all take place.

For example, Game Reserves and State Forest areas are no hunting zones. Migratory corridors are also designated as no hunting areas during the bird migratory passage across Cyprus. Cyprus law bans all non-selective methods of trapping birds and killing of non game birds. There are high fees for infringing the rules.

Around 750,000 birds are shot illegally each year. The blackcap bird is specifically targeted illegally and is sold on as a delicacy known in Cyprus as ambelopoulia.

Currently the Cyprus Government charges €60 a year for a hunting license and uses these funds to improve the countryside and raise conservational awareness.

The hunting open season is:-

During January and February hunting can take place on Wednesdays and Sundays only and thrushes, woodpigeon, woodcock, ducks and geese can be hunted.

At the end of August there are three or four hunting days inland of the island and during this time only woodpigeon and turtle dove can be hunted.

September has very limited hunting areas in the Cyprus coastal regions where woodpigeon, turtle dove and quail can be hunted.

During November and December, hunting can take place on Wednesdays and Sundays only during which time hare, chukar partridge, black francolin, thrushes, woodpigeon and woodcock can be hunted.

There is a limit on quotas that a hunter is allowed to take. Hunters exceeding the quotas receive heavy fines. At the time of writing in 2017, quotas are two hares and five partridges per hunter per hunting day, or two hares, four partridges and one francolin per hunter per hunting day.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog