Songbirds are a culinary
delicacy in Cyprus — but catching and eating them is illegal. Even so, the
practice is on the rise and could be threatening rare species.
26 January 2016
Mist nets are strung
across flight paths to trap birds.
It wasn't until I saw the
blade glinting in the sunlight that I realized how grave the situation was.
Broad and belligerent in army fatigues, the man strode along the track, ranting
in Greek. Behind his back, his hands flexed a knife blade in and out of its
wooden handle. This man was a trapper, a poacher of birds — and he clearly
didn't want company. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
My companions and I had
come to this dry scrubland on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to look for
evidence of songbird trapping. The birds are caught illegally and eaten in a
traditional dish called ambelopoulia — and I was joining a September
trip to monitor the extent of trapping. With me was Roger Little, a British
conservation volunteer, and Savvas, a field officer with the conservation group
BirdLife Cyprus whose name has been changed to protect his identity. We didn't
expect to encounter trappers at this spot in the southeastern region of Cape
Pyla; they usually work at night, when the birds are active. But now it seemed
that they had started patrolling the site during the day. “You are on my land,”
the trapper said to us in Greek.
“If this is your
property, then I apologize — we didn't know, we are going,” Savvas said. We
acted casual as the man escorted us back to the battered four-by-four in which
we had come. “I shouldn't really be letting you go,” he muttered. Moments
later, we were driving away.
Bird trapping in Cyprus
has grown into a controversy that encompasses crime, culture, politics and
science. The practice was made illegal more than 40 years ago — but that simply
forced it underground. Today, trappers routinely cut wide corridors through
vegetation and string fine 'mist nets' from poles to catch the birds, which are
sent to local restaurants and quietly served. A platter of a dozen birds sells
for €40–80 (US$44–87), and the trade in songbirds is responsible for an estimated
annual market of €15 million. The delicacy is so prized and lucrative that it
is suspected to be linked to organized crime, and those trying to stop it have
been subject to intimidation and violence.
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