Griechenland – 04. 12. 2024

Wildlife crime in a tourist paradise: CABS conservationists expose widespread trapping of protected songbirds on Santorini, criticise massive lack of enforcement

During a survey on the Greek island of Santorini experts from the Committee-Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) have mapped and documented more than one hundred large illegal trapping installations for the live-capture of protected Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Linnets and other migratory songbirds. The group said that poachers are using large clap-nets as well as live and electronic decoys to lure birds into their traps. “Trapping sites are being operated on the beaches, near churches, right next to main roads and close to important tourist sites including Fira, Oia, Kamari and Akrotiri”, CABS spokeswoman Stefania Travaglia said. “Based on the data from our survey, we estimate that several thousand birds are being trapped illegally each autumn, mainly in November.”

CABS also observed that local authorities - despite being aware of the problem - do not seem to have taken any serious measures/action to stop the bird poachers. “We understand that compared to the scale of the problem local police and game wardens do not have enough – if any - resources to effectively tackle this form of wildlife crime” CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld stated, concluding that the continuous lack of enforcement has led to a state of anarchy where poachers can act with impunity and local authorities - understaffed beyond retrieval – have no other option than turning a blind eye to the situation.

“Santorini and the other Aegean Islands are important stepping-stones for millions of European migratory birds on their bi-annual journey between continental Europe and Africa. Large-scale und uncontrolled poaching - as observed by our teams on Santorini - is an international conservation problem”, Axel Hirschfeld said adding that ignoring or tolerating it constitutes a serious infringement of the European Birds Directive. CABS therefore call on the government in Athens to support the local authorities in tackling the problem and ensure that Greek and international environmental laws are being respected. CABS also warned politicians and authorities not to be tricked by the trappers claim that most of the birds are being released after some time. Stefania Travaglia: “There is no evidence regarding just how many birds are being released, while on the other hand we see aviaries packed full of caged birds everywhere across Santorini.”

** A VIDEO showing the illegalities documented by our teams on Santorini has also been published on our YouTube channel today here: https://youtu.be/nJae79OhPV4

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Contact for more information:

Stefania Travaglia, CABS Wildlife Crime Officer for Greece, 

E-mail: s.travaglia @ komitee.de, Phone: 0039 3517966988