Pedieos linear park may see cat shelters removed and rebuilt

Local animal welfarecatsNicosiaTop News Pedieos linear park may see cat shelters removed and rebuilt Pet Cat Shot With Airgun Outside Family Home In Cyprus Relevant News Pedieos linear park may see cat shelters removed and rebuilt 3 July 2026 In the West Bank, Israeli settlers take over Palestinian’s dream home 3 July 2026 American Stories, on the eve of the 250th Anniversary 3 July 2026 Vassos Vassiliou 3 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A report prepared for the redevelopment of the linear park stretching from Nicosia to Lakatamia has recommended removing the makeshift shelters used by the large number of cats living there. The report cited damage to local biodiversity as the reason. According to the report, cats along the park prey on everything from small birds to reptiles, disrupting the area’s ecological balance. It noted a large number of improvised, poorly built shelters throughout the park, combined with residents feeding the animals, often with liquid food. This causes nuisance in the area, the report said, affecting the aesthetics of the space, creating odours and attracting insects and rodents. Cats are natural predators, it added, and their large numbers are causing a sharp decline in other fauna, including small birds and reptiles. As part of the park’s upgrade, the report recommended removing the unauthorised shelters and replacing them with new, uniform structures made from natural materials. These would shelter the cats from sun and rain while being easy to clean and well ventilated, it said. Municipal authorities, working with animal welfare organisations, private individuals and sponsors, will prepare a programme to feed stray animals with solid food and maintain the shelters, the report added. It also called for cat sterilisation programmes to be stepped up in the Pedieos area, noting that cats prey on small fauna there and are having a negative impact on the local ecosystem. According to an earlier Strovolos Municipality post, the park is home to ten cat colonies. The cats also rely on volunteers who care for and feed them, with some helping to clean the areas where they live. Students from Saint Vasilios Gymnasium in Strovolos, taking part in the “young journalists for the environment” programme, spoke to municipal officials as part of their reporting. The officials told the students that, in order to protect the park’s biodiversity, the Municipality fully funds a set number of stray cat sterilisations each year, prioritising animals in large parks such as the Linear Park. Cats are trapped by volunteers authorised by the Municipality and taken to private veterinary clinics for sterilisation. These clinics are selected in advance through a tender process. For 2023, the Municipal Council allocated 12,000 euros for stray cat sterilisations. Based on their conversations with officials and volunteers, the students concluded that both groups agree the stray cat situation in Strovolos Linear Park is significant and requires management. They also found that local public opinion is positive towards the park’s stray cat colonies and considers municipal sterilisation programmes an effective way of addressing the issue. Read more: Pack of stray dogs decimated cat colony in Pedieos linear park Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News In the West Bank, Israeli settlers take over Palestinian’s dream home American Stories, on the eve of the 250th Anniversary Forty killed as bus falls into ditch in Pakistan’s Balochistan On this day: Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, dies in Paris in 1971 UN sounds alarm over high-intensity El Niño phenomenon affecting global weather Limassol arson probe underway after fire at massage parlour Aegean resumes Athens-Paphos flights after years-long absence Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.