Illegal feeding stations put Cyprus mouflon and hares at risk

Local firehuntingTop News Illegal feeding stations put Cyprus mouflon and hares at risk Taisma Thiramaton 1536x864 Relevant News Illegal feeding stations put Cyprus mouflon and hares at risk 7 September 2026 Motorcyclist, 24, in extremely critical condition after serious crash 7 September 2026 First non-diplomat named US ambassador to Cyprus arrives on island 7 September 2026 Angelos Nicolaou 7 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Some hunters in Cyprus are resorting to illegal feeding stations and unauthorised hunting-spot markers to improve their catches, practices officials say are harming the very wildlife they are meant to attract. One method involves scattering food such as wheat, corn, vetch, beans and pistachios in the open countryside to lure game, particularly wood pigeon, during the current hunting season. Another involves hunters staking out spots in advance without being present, tying wooden pallets and other materials to trees days ahead of time to mark territory. Hunters who arrive later and ignore these markers risk confrontation from those who placed them, who consider the spot theirs and demand others leave. The relevant authorities have told the Cyprus Federation of Hunting & Wildlife Conservation that they will remove and destroy both the spot-marking materials and the feeders. Law-abiding hunters describe the practices as dishonest hunting that tarnishes the community’s image and causes serious friction, sparking clashes and arguments between hunters who stake spots or place feeders and those who object, arguing that traditional hunting ethics rest on equal opportunity rather than the illegal occupation of public land and the trapping of tamed game. Game and Fauna Service spokesperson Petros Anagiotou said that while providing water is useful, feeders carry serious risks. Authorities detect, monitor and destroy illegal feeders, he said, adding that hunters who use them do not realise the harm they cause: any short-term gain in catch comes at a long-term cost to the species itself, since concentrating animals in one place cancels out their natural dispersal. Biologically, artificial feeding sites function as ecological traps with serious epidemiological consequences. In nature, animals disperse to find food, which sharply limits contact between different individuals and species. Unnatural crowding of birds and other animals at artificial feeders is causing serious health problems for Cypriot wildlife, forcing species with entirely different biological needs, including birds, rodents and ruminants, into the same confined space. Animals normally adjust their diet according to the weather, but feeding them food that does not match the conditions they are used to can cause serious health problems, including death. Hares and the Cyprus mouflon are directly affected. Sudden consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods such as wheat and corn causes stomach acidosis in ruminants, destroying the microflora in their digestive systems, an outcome that is almost always fatal. Grain left exposed to heat and humidity also develops dangerous, carcinogenic aflatoxins. Animals lose their wild instincts, while the feeding stations attract poachers as well as natural predators such as foxes, whose necessary wariness of humans is reduced, undermining their natural role as ecosystem regulators. Proposal to shift hunting season sparks dispute The Forestry Department is preparing to propose moving the hunting season from August to September, a suggestion the Game and Fauna Service says it will examine. The summer hunting season began on August 23, 2026, amid high temperatures, red-alert conditions for forest fires and sharp disagreement among the bodies involved. At the centre of the dispute is the Forestry Department’s plan to propose to the Interior Ministry that the season’s start be moved from August to early or mid-September because of weather conditions, a suggestion that drew immediate pushback from the Game and Fauna Service and the Cyprus Federation of Hunting & Wildlife Conservation. The Forestry Department intends to submit its proposal to the Interior Ministry as soon as possible, aiming for a decision before next summer. Its main argument centres on extreme weather in August: according to a department representative, staff already on alert because of red warnings must also deploy additional personnel in forests to monitor hunters. The department also points to the risk of ecosystem damage, as seen in past major fires that destroyed game and habitats. The Game and Fauna Service said it was annoyed at how the issue came to light, noting it learned of the proposal through the media rather than through any official communication. Anagiotou said setting the start of the hunting season is the Service’s exclusive responsibility, not the Forestry Department’s. He said the presence of around 18,000 hunters in the mountains acts as a deterrent against wrongdoing and helps with early fire detection, and confirmed the Service is willing to consider the Forestry Department’s written proposal once it is formally submitted. According to the Game and Fauna Service, legislation enacted in 2003 on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game bars the Council of Ministers from setting any hunting season between March 1 and August 15 each year. Hunters reject link to wildfires The Cyprus Federation of Hunting & Wildlife Conservation said hunters are often the first to respond during destructive fires that have hit the country, working to protect habitats and sometimes putting themselves at risk. The Federation said there is no proof hunters have caused fires, citing Forestry Department statistics showing that fires caused by hunting are very rare, at 1.5%. The Federation said it supports firefighting efforts with more than 40 volunteer vehicles and rejected any link between hunters and fire-causing, calling on the Forestry Department to provide documented evidence of such a link before entering into any dialogue. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Motorcyclist, 24, in extremely critical condition after serious crash First non-diplomat named US ambassador to Cyprus arrives on island Girl, 10, hurt by battery thrown at APOEL-AEL match 39 degree peak and clear skies Monday Demetris Pierides: Building a cultural legacy to outlast generations New US ambassador arrives in Cyprus ahead of credentials ceremony Mitsotakis rules out snap election after €3.5bn tax and wage package Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.