Residents of Vavla, a small village in the Larnaca hills, say 30 animals have been poisoned in recent days by an unknown person or people, the second mass poisoning in the area in two years, and are calling on police to take action. The dead animals include a large number of cats and a stray dog.
The village is in uproar, residents told philenews, as most people there look after and feed the cats.
Lefkara mayor Sofoklis Sofokleous said he had been told that someone, whom he described as a fool and a criminal, had put down poison, killing 30 animals including a dog. He said he would visit the area along with members of the municipality’s health service.
Resident Achilleas Leivadiotis, whose family looked after one of the cats found dead, said the poison had been put down days ago and that five dead cats had been found in his neighbourhood alone. He said a stray dog that roamed the cemetery just outside the village centre seemed to have bothered someone, who put down poison, and that many cats had been poisoned along with it.
Describing the deaths as murders, he said: “It’s one of the most brutal ways for an animal to die.”
Leivadiotis said his wife had written to the Cyprus Animal Police on Tuesday. Residents feed the stray cats and also keep cats in their homes, which protect them from rodents and snakes, but some people do not want animals around, he said. Pets were also at risk, he said, adding that he was afraid to take his dog for a walk. The cat his family had cared for was raised by his children, and his son was inconsolable, he said, as he called on police to find whoever was responsible.
In October 2024, residents reported another mass poisoning of cats in the area. They said at the time that 30 of the 50 cats they looked after had disappeared, and many were later found dead.
