Two men were slightly injured Wednesday when a hunter fired toward a group of two game wardens and three volunteers from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter, CABS, near Ayia Napa, the anti-poaching group said in a press release sent to Famagusta Gazette.
The two injured men, both French nationals, were taken to Famagusta General Hospital in Paralimni. Doctors documented injuries to the head and body of one and to the arms of the other, the group said.
The shooting happened around 7 a.m. in an area bordering Cape Greco National Park, the group said. Shortly before, game wardens alerted by the volunteers had confiscated an illegal electronic bird caller in the same area and reported a hunter for using it.
“On our way back to the cars we met another hunter sitting on a chair nearby and said good morning to him,” group spokesman Axel Hirschfeld said. “This individual replied with a gesture and soon after fired the shot which hit our volunteers.”
Hirschfeld said police are investigating.
The group urged authorities to investigate thoroughly, saying multiple eyewitnesses, including the two game wardens, can confirm what happened. It said the sequence of events raises concerns that the shooting “was not an accident but a deliberate act,” because everyone in the group passed directly in front of the hunter and greeted him.
The group warned against further escalation and called on the hunting community to stop what it described as unfounded hostility toward conservationists and to follow the law.
“Reporting hunting offenses is not a provocation,” Hirschfeld said. “It is a legitimate activity to end impunity.”
