FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – The Game and Wildlife Service has confirmed the poisoning death of a Bonelli’s eagle, monitored as part of the European LIFE Bonelli East Med Program.
The bird’s geolocation device signaled its death during a routine study conducted by Hunting Service officers.
The carcass of the eagle was discovered near a fenced property in a Paphos district community.
Access to the property was necessary to retrieve it, but the homeowner refused to cooperate with both the Game and Wildlife Service and Paphos Police.
This behavior raised suspicions, prompting authorities to obtain a court order for an extensive search.
During the search, officers found the remains of the eagle alongside a half-eaten poisoned chicken.
Bonelli’s Eagle, a threatened and strictly protected species vital to the island’s wildlife. The following were confiscated during the search:
- The carcass of the Bonelli’s Eagle, killed by poisoning.
- Prohibited pesticides allegedly acquired from the occupied territories, illegal for possession and use in the Republic.
- Two hunting weapons without proper possession permits, while three additional weapons remain unaccounted for.
- A wild bird trapping net, three iron traps, and two wire loops, all designed for capturing wild birds.
- Forty-seven rods.
- Seventy wild birds, already plucked of their feathers.
- Three electronic devices used to lure wild birds through sound reproduction.
- Sixty-five cartridges, including single-shot, nine-shot, and fifteen-shot varieties, all deemed illegal due to either their type or pellet caliber—commonly associated with poaching.
- A collection of fireworks.
The investigation is ongoing.