Griechenland – 12. 12. 2024

Wildlife crime in a tourist paradise - Santorini exposé

12.12.2024

The famous Greek holiday island of Santorini is a hotspot for poaching in the eastern Mediterranean. The island is littered with trapping sites where the perpetrators illegally catch finches with trapping nets and ‘live decoy’ birds. The birds end up confined in tiny cages and are displayed everywhere in villages, hotels and restaurants. During an initial mission by CABS this autumn, our experts found a total of 107 active trapping sites - often easily visible to everyone. The sheer scale of the bird trapping shows that the police and hunting authorities on Santorini are completely overwhelmed by the situation. It was only after our reports that the officers took obligatory action and convicted 3 poachers. 3 poaching nets and 40 birds were seized.

Watch here our video from Santorini.