 |
| The damaged windscreen of the targeted car |
A PATROL car used by bird conservationists in Cyprus has been severely damaged.
The incident happened while the Toyota car - used by volunteers for the Committee Against Bird Slaughter - was parked in a residential area in Pyla in the Larnaca district of Cyprus.
It is thought the damage was caused by a large, illegal pyrotechnical device attached to the windscreen
Says CABS investigations officer Bostjan Debersek: "At around 5.45pm, we heard a loud bang and saw a lot of smoke.
"It was our car and parked close to our apartment.
"Many people from the complex came to see what happened and a large crowd gathered."
Officers from the bomb squad and police investigators sealed off and swept the scene.
The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks and death-threats against conservationists who are working to combat illegal bird poaching in Cyprus by criminal gangs.
On Christmas Eve an aggressive poacher known to the authorities threatened a police officer who accompanied CABS volunteers to an illegal trapping site in Zygi.
The trapping site was equipped with six huge nets and a tape lure.
Six song thrushes and a barn owl had been caught in the net, with 23 more birds dead in a bucket, freshly killed by the trapper.
In November, three masked trappers jumped on a CABS member and beat him almost unconscious leaving him with blood pouring from his head.
Two of the attackers were later arrested and are expected to face charges.
Says CABS president Heinz Schwarze: "The illegal trade with poached songbirds is a “million Euro business” which is being protected by those who profit from it.
"Last year alone, members of CABS documented and reported over 250 cases of illegal trapping and hunting to the Cypriot authorities.
"It is wrong that those who are responsible for these eco-crimes can walk around with impunity, while conservation wardens and CABS volunteers and are continuously being targeted, their property being vandalised, plus death threats and abuse.
"The Cyprus Government needs to invest resources in proper wildlife law enforcement rather than appeasing the poaching lobby.
"It is time to stop sitting on the fence and take a clear stand against illegal bird poaching and protect activists who document and report environmental crimes.
"It is clear that the police anti-poaching unit, which was dissolved in 2019, urgently needs to be reinstated in order to tackle the spiralling problem of illegal poaching of protected species."
He continued: "The people involved in these crimes are hardened criminals - they need to be dealt with the full force of the law, not by the likes administrative officers and conservation wardens."
No comments:
Post a Comment