Dear MDOspreyer,

Norm has authorized this posting:

The Bird Conservation Alliance has issued an action alert.  You can register your concern to the Government of Cypus asking it to halt the slaughter of songbirds, by reviewing the below and copying and pasting the URL below into your browser.  Then fill in the requested information.  Note that the petition is in Greek, but an English translation is below. Please give this your consideration.

Kurt Schwarz

Conservation Committee Chair

Maryland Ornithological Society



To: Bird Conservation Alliance

From: Committee Against Bird Slaughter

Date: October 20, 2010

International Petition Calls for Halt to Bird Trapping on Cyprus

The illegal use of limesticks and mist nets to trap birds is still widespread throughout the Republic of Cyprus, and has been increasing alarmingly in recent years. Both migrant and resident birds in Cyprus urgently need the protection of the responsible authorities on Cyprus, who must take decisive action against the restaurants serving trapped bird “delicacies”, provide more enforcers in the field, and deliver clear political messages condemning trapping.

These trapping devices are non-selective and have an impact on more than 100 species, including both short and long distance migrant birds and breeding birds. The use of non-selective bird trapping and killing methods, especially limesticks, mist nets and electronic decoys, results in the death of hundreds of thousands of migrant birds that use the Island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, as a resting place on their long journey between Africa and Europe.  Many of these species are threatened at a European or even a global scale. 

Trapping is also no longer a small scale, local, socio-cultural practice. It is large scale organized crime with huge amounts of cash flowing between the network of professional trappers, middlemen and restaurants. 

Birdlife Cyprus, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, and Terra Cypria are leading an international petition drive to change this practice. You can send the government of Cyprus a message by clicking on the following link urging the government of Cyprus to take action to halt this deadly business:  

Copy and paste the below address into your browser.

http://www.komitee.de/en/protest/protestmail-cyprus. 

Steve Holmer

Director of the Bird Conservation Alliance &

Senior Policy Advisor

American Bird Conservancy

202/234-7181 ext. 216

     

www.birdconservationalliance.org

www.abcbirds.org  

The Bird Conservation Alliance (BCA) is a network of organizations working together to conserve wild birds.  

BCA is facilitated by American Bird Conservancy which conserves native wild birds and their habitats