Help end bird trapping in Cyprus

[Dr Martin Williams [account from Drupal site]]

TENS OF THOUSANDS of migrant birds are being illegally slaughtered in Cyprus annually to feed an appetite for illegal “ambelopoulia” delicacies. Trappers using limesticks and mist nets are making huge profits while threatening Europe’s natural heritage. You can help generate the political will to end this indiscriminate killing by signing BirdLife Cyprus’s petition to relevant Ministers.

Bird trapping in Cyprus has been taking place for many years. It began as a way of supplementing what was once a meager peasant diet. This is no longer the case. Trapping in Cyprus has become a large-scale, high-tech, lucrative business run by criminals. Trapped birds are usually supplied to restaurants that are illegally serving them – a dozen of trapped birds could be sold up to 80 euros. The competent authorities estimate this illegal business to be of the order of 15 million euros per year. The large scale and non selective nature of illegal trapping in Cyprus constitutes an ecological disaster.

A recent film made by BirdLife Cyprus gives an overview of the trapping issue  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kk4B4YJWiQ  and one other film from another organization shows how far the trappers are willing to go to protect their illegal business http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KvpoLNEeDg  

395 587 THIS NUMBER represents the BirdLife Cyprus estimate for how many birds have been slaughtered by trappers using mist nets and limesticks between September 1st and September 18th 2011.

Please sign the petition! It is extremely important to gather as many signatures as possible! (read more about here: http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/index.php?lang=en )

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS

Call for action against illegal bird trapping in Cyprus and help to STOP this here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/call-for-action-against-illegal-bird-trapping-in-cyprus.html

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