Pony dies at Christmas event, Animal Party calls for investigation

The Cyprus Animal Party has made serious allegations following the death of a pony during a Christmas event, citing a lack of checks and investigations by the competent authorities.

According to the party’s complaint, individuals transported two ponies to Prastio Kellakiou, following a decision by the community council, for festive activities held on December 12 and 13.

As reported, one of the two animals died under unclear circumstances during the events.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Animal Party claims that, based on information it received, the pony’s death may have been caused either by low temperatures or poor nutrition.

The party emphasised that the pony died amid a failure to follow required procedures on permits, stabling and welfare.

Instead, “the animal died (as we were told) and was thrown away or buried without any authority asking for explanations and without any further investigations to establish and attribute responsibilities,” it said.

“We call on the Prastio Kellakiou community council, the Veterinary Services and the police to immediately investigate this very serious incident, and for the innocent and the guilty alike to get what they deserve,” the party stated.

Animal Party president Kyriakos Kyriakou, speaking on Sigma TV on Wednesday, elaborated on the allegations of animal abuse, referring both to the death of the pony at the Christmas event and to what he described as tragic living conditions for Cypriot cows.

Referring to the first case, Kyriakou confirmed that it concerned a village in the Nicosia district, stressing, however, that “the issue is not which village it is, because we are happy that communities organise such events”.

He explained that the problem lies in the use of animals without the necessary permits and controls. “Since animals are used for any purpose, the appropriate permits and approvals must be in place,” he emphasised.

Describing the situation as “unacceptable”, he attributed responsibility both to those who transported the animals and to the community that initiated their use.

“The Animal Party has an obligation to intervene and denounce such practices,” he stressed.

He then turned to a second issue, presenting photographs of cows in a meadow in Akrotiri, Limassol, which he said were in a tragic condition. “They are skin and bone. Their ribs are visible, they are clearly famished,” he said, describing the situation as a “tragedy”.

He added that a similar issue had been raised last February, without any substantial improvement since then. “They receive funding for the protection of Cypriot cows, but they do not feed the animals,” he complained, adding that he had also contacted the director of Veterinary Services, who said he had “already sent officers to see what is happening”.

Kyriakou stressed that Cypriot cows are protected by law, as an indigenous species that must be preserved. He also referred to incidents in which animals escaped from enclosures, became trapped in barbed wire or were killed on roads. 

“Explanations must be given. Do you take funding and use it for the purpose it was given for or do you let the animals starve?” he questioned.

These allegations come amid another recent animal welfare case involving a horse found severely malnourished and neglected. The mare was rescued on Sunday following a social media post that prompted an animal welfare intervention by the Ecologists Movement and members of the local equestrian community.