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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Snake nets in Cyprus

Snakes nets at a property edge in Cyprus
Snakes nets at a property edge in Cyprus

In Cyprus, farmers and landowners use a thoughtless method to keep snakes away from their property: They use damaged or worn nets, which are laid out as fine webs along the property boundaries or attached to fences and walls. The snakes seem to perceive the nets as an impassable barrier.

Unfortunately, snake nets are brutal death traps. Thousands of them litter the landscape, entangled into the vegetation and are practically invisible to animals of all kinds. Not only the unloved snakes get caught in them, but also other reptiles, such as the Hardun - a large agama species - and geckos die in the carelessly laid nets. Hedgehogs are also affected, which easily get entangled with their spines, as well as many ground dwelling birds. Skeletons of chukar partridges, nightingales, warblers and hoopoes are not uncommon. We estimate that tens of thousands of vertebrates die in snake nets every year.