Bird trapping in northern Cyprus

Bird-trapping in Cyprus is not limited to the Greek speaking south. Bird-Trapping is also a problem in the Turkish northern part of the island. However, the phenomenon is much less common here than in the south. CABS have been active in Cyprus since 2001. Due to the complicated political situation, it was initially not possible to cross the border to the Turkish side of Cyprus. It was not until 2013, when a small border control point was opened, that we were able to become active in the north.

In contrast to the Greek-speaking south, there are almost no typical garden trapping with limesticks in the Turkish part of Cyprus. There are no cut-to-size trees to place the limesticks, nor are there any Syrian plum trees from whose fruit the glue is made.

Nets, on the other hand, are used to catch birds. Particularly in the area of the Karpas peninsula - the spur of Cyprus that rises far to the east - there are extensive trapping areas with hundreds of nets, which are operated as in the south with electronic decoy callers to catch warblers.  

The "buffer zone" between the two parts of Cyprus, guarded by UN blue helmets - the 1964 ceasefire line - is now a popular no-man's-land among poachers. Because they are out of reach from Game Fund wardens and the republican police, more and more bird trappers from the south set up their nets in the militarily secured area and even on Turkish territory.

Together with our Turkish-Cypriot partners KUSKOR, the Turkish police and the UN Blue Helmets, during our bird protection camps we now regularly work against poaching in the buffer zone as well as on Turkish national territory.