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This is the awful result of illegal trapping. Trapping animals has been used and abused for centuries all over the world. There is no doubt that historically people who had little access to food were desperate and it was probably understandable that individuals needed to use desperate measures in order to obtain food for their families. Today there can be no excuse or reason that justifies this barbaric act.

In my short time working in with animal welfare in Paphos I have been involved in two incidents of trapping which have resulted in serious injury to innocent animals.

In the first case a resident of Peyia was walking her dogs in the Agios Georgios area when one of them just vanished from sight. After searching she discovered her dog trapped in the most hideous trap. After much effort she rescued the animal and rushed him to the Veterinary for emergency treatment.

Once the animal was safe she returned to the scene and removed the trap taking it to Peyia police station. The police were bewildered. They had never seen anything like this contraption. Although they took the matter very seriously they were unable to establish who the trap belonged to and was therefore unable to make any arrest in this case.

The poor cat in the picture was also trapped in the Paphos area.

The cat had somehow managed to pull herself free of the trap and was found by the kind people who fed the group of feral cats in the area. They brought the cat to Peyia Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Inna could see clearly the wire marks on the feet of the cat. Every effort was made to save the young cat but sadly she failed to respond to treatment and died as a result of her injuries.

These are but two cases that we are aware of. Many beloved pets go missing in Cyprus and their bereaved owners blame the snakes, poison or road traffic accidents although, in many cases, their bodies are not found.

I would like to raise the questions. How many of these animals have been caught in a trap? Why are these traps being used in a civilised society? What can be done to ensure that this does not continue?

When the cat was brought to our attention the Government Veterinary Services were contacted but apparently they are not responsible for animal trapping referrals, the problems are dealt with by illegal hunting. This might be the case but no one from that department acted on our information.

There has been a lot of publicity about the terrible suffering caused by hunters using glue sticks on trees to trap the tiny birds. This of course is illegal and quite rightly every effort is being made to stop this. Surely there is a real need for more action to stop all animal trapping here in Cyprus and in the rest of the world.
 

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