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The article below is a pretty good reason to boycot any holidays to Cyprus! (sorry Jamie!)

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A pair of poachers involved in the shocking shooting of 52 Red-footed Falcons Falco vespertinus at Akrotiri, Cyprus, last year were yesterday fined a “derisory” €1,250 each, BirdLife Cyprus protested.

The British Sovereign Base Area (SBA) court could have imposed a maximum penalty of €17,000 and three years imprisonment. The massacre was the worst case of raptor killing ever reported in Cyprus.

BirdLife Cyprus added that the poaching and trapping situation is deteriorating on the island and call for urgent EU intervention.


"The shooting of these highly endangered falcons should never have been allowed to happen and the derisory penalties imposed today will not even begin to act as a deterrent for other would-be poachers in what is a well-known poaching black-spot” — Martin Hellicar, BirdLife Cyprus Executive Manager


Despite admitting to shooting the falcons to police shortly after their arrest in mid-October 2007, the pair had initially pleaded 'not guilty' before the court to charges of shooting protected species in a prohibited area. However, after plea-bargaining before court today, the two Limassol men admitted to shooting just four of the falcons, which they claimed to have mistaken for European Turtle-doves Streptopelia turtur.
“This is disastrous case of failure of a judicial system coming close on the heels of failure of an enforcement system,” said BirdLife Cyprus Executive Manager Martin Hellicar. “The shooting of these highly endangered falcons should never have been allowed to happen. The derisory penalties imposed today will not even begin to act as a deterrent for other would-be poachers in what is a well-known poaching black-spot.”

"Unfortunately, ineffective penalties such as the ones imposed today are the norm when it comes to poaching offences in Cyprus, whether this be with guns, nets or limesticks. It is high time for Brussels to take serious note of the degenerating poaching situation in Cyprus - particularly as regards illegal bird trapping, which doubled last Autumn - and demand effective enforcement action from both the UK and Cyprus governments."

On-going monitoring of illegal bird trapping by BirdLife Cyprus showed that trappers on the island killed an estimated 500,000 birds in Autumn 2007, to be sold as expensive ambelopoulia delicacies in local restaurants. The banned delicacies were found to be freely available in local restaurants.

The cold-blooded October 5th shooting of the Red-footed Falcon flock had caused widespread outrage in Cyprus and abroad. The handsome falcons – a species of global conservation concern – appeared to have been shot down for “target practice” as they rested on the Akrotiri peninsula, a key stop-over point for migrant birds heading for Africa. Farm workers found forty-six of the migrating falcon flock dead at the scene. Six injured birds were taken to the Cyprus Game Fund bird hospital, where they later died of their injuries.



Birdlife International
29th February 2008

Thats is flippin' terrible, lock them up and throw away the key is what I say, you have my word that I won't be visiting Cyprus(unless im helping those birds)

I will be going to Cyprus in July, and it is really nice there. When I was there last year I didn't see anything like this going on.
The person/people who done this deserved to (as the Stoop said) be locked away forever.
Just becasue of this incident, I wouldn't recomend that you decide not to go to Cyprus, it is a really nice place, although you have got this scum there. This happens all over the world you know, not just in cyprus

It shouldnt happen. They are part of the European Union and as part of their bird directive they are not allowed to shoot birds. There are other European countries that do it like Malta and some of the old eastern european states but it doesnt happen 'all over the world' Jamie. One of those Red footed Falcons could have made it to your local patch this spring had it not been needlessly shot out of the sky. I have been to Cyprus. You won't see this happening near any of the tourist spots. The fact is, the government in Cyprus should impose bigger fines or prison sentences. Thats the only way to get the message over to these ignorant hunters.

You have got a good point there Paul.

This is truly awful. One of the reasons I respect the nightjar so much is because it is somehow able to maintain a stable population despite our best efforts. Not only having to contend with a migration over countries like Cyprus, it then arrives in the UK where what is left of its breeding habitat is often subject to intense disturbance. It then flies back to Africa for the winter, where it is probably safest.

Nightjars are my favourite birds. The advantage they have is that they mostly migrate at night (being nocturnal) when the shooters are in bed!

or all that ouzo has put them off their aim................

Ouzo is nice! When you add water to it, it goes cloudy!

and when you drink lots so does your memory

Ha! Good one!

Was that just being funny or does that actually happen? lol

you'll learn, young padawan

Ok, I can't wait!

When you start shooting at falcons, you'll know you've had too much!!!

Seriously, I would not go to Cyprus or Malta because of this sort of thing being prevalent. In France too, they shoot anything feathered that moves. Sadly, the peasant mentality lives on in many regions of the Continent. Only when the judiciary and the police start taking the offence really seriously will we see a change in attitude.

Was it not too long ago that 2 hen harriers were shot in one of the Queen's estates? And is there not a huge problem with some gamekeepers in the UK?
I agree that the EU should put more pressure on the Government of Cyprus to try to stop this kind of thing , but just not going if you happen to like it will not make any difference. We like Jamie have seen none of this obviously but we have seen a lot of green turtle conservation & our particular guide has a son who is in a very important position over in Greece with regards to sea life preservation.I will certainly mention it & see what he says when we go later in the year.