Three owls rescued from illegal traps in Cyprus

On Saturday, October 10, 2026, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) reported the rescue of three owls trapped in illegal poaching equipment in Cyprus. Two endemic Cyprus Scops Owls were found entangled in mist-nets in the south-east of the island, while a juvenile Barn Owl was discovered stuck to glue-coated limesticks near the town of Zygi. All three birds were successfully cleaned, assessed for injuries, and released back into the wild.

Following the discovery, officers from the Game and Fauna Service seized 150 illegal limesticks. One individual was identified as an offender and issued a €2,200 fine. Conservationists emphasize that these methods are indiscriminate, often capturing non-target species despite being primarily intended for trapping blackcaps, a delicacy known as ambelopoulia.

While historical data from BirdLife Cyprus indicates that illegal trapping remains a significant issue—with an estimated 726,000 songbirds killed last autumn—the scale of the practice has declined from over two million birds annually a decade ago. Mist-net usage has reportedly fallen by 47 percent following intensified police raids, though demand from restaurants continues to fuel the trade.