The British Bases bolstered their strike teams with soldiers to combat the poaching of songbirds and larks in the Dhekelia area, while preparing in parallel to also deploy drones.
The British bases announced that they now have more resources than ever to fight poaching, and that members of the Community Action Team (CAT) have been reinforced with 10 military personnel in their daily operations since August.
The enhanced team also conducted 32 operations with the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and seven with Bird Life Cyprus.
Starting next year, the operations of the Bases are expected to be enhanced with the addition of new technology, including better monitoring equipment with upgraded drones and cameras.
According to Pertev Karagozlou, a senior police officer in the bases, poaching on the territories controlled by the Bases has decreased by 94% following the implementation of an action plan since 2016.
It is noted that last year, the base in Dhekelia announced that bird trapping had decreased by 98%.
“When you have nearly a 100% reduction in anything, just one case can drastically change the statistical data. In reality, we had the largest team on the ground than we’ve ever had in the past, which means we are able to cover a much wider area and catch trappers who might have gone unnoticed in the past,” Karagozlou commented on the reduction percentage compared to last year.
