Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e. V.
Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)

Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e.V. Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)
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Zypern – 12. 11. 2026

Hunter opens fire on bird protection volunteers and game wardens seconds after greeting them

Two men sustained minor injuries after a hunter shot towards a group of two Game Wardens and three volunteers from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), yesterday near Ayia Napa. The victims, both from France, were brought to Famagusta General Hospital in Paralimni, where doctors documented injuries on the head and to the body of one victim and on the arms of another. CABS stated that the incident happened yesterday morning at around 7am in an area bordering the Cape Greco National Park. Shortly before the incident, game wardens - who had been alerted by the CABS team - confiscated an illegal electronic bird caller in the exact same area and reported a hunter for illegally using it. "On our way back to the cars we met another hunter sitting on a chair nearby and said good morning to him. This individual replied with a gesture and soon after fired the shot which hit our volunteers “, CABS spokesperson Axel Hirschfeld said adding that the police are investigating the incident.

CABS call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident which can be confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses, including two Game Wardens. The environmental NGO also pointed out that the sequence of events preceding the shooting "raises concerns that this was not an accident but a deliberate act, since all persons present at the crime scene passed right in front of the perpetrator and made their presence known to him by greeting him and saying good morning.”

CABS has warned against a further escalation of the situation. The environmental NGO called on the hunting community to stop the unfounded agitation and hostility directed against nature conservationists and instead simply abide by the law. "Reporting hunting offences is not a provocation - it is a legitimate activity to end impunity, that every legal hunter should congratulate and support instead of targeting and condemn it”, spokesperson Axel Hirschfeld concluded.

ENDS