Hunters on the decline but complaints on the increase

The number of hunters in Cyprus may be declining, but complaints of hunting in restricted areas are still pouring in, a trend which the Game Fund attributes to the rapid shrinking of areas where shooting game is still allowed.

According to official figures, there are about 30,000 legal hunters roaming the countryside on hunting days and, with fewer than 250 Game Fund wardens spread across shifts, it is impossible to keep track of them all, legal or not.

“You can’t respond to all complaints,” the Game Fund says.

During the last hunting year, there were 37,817 valid hunting licences and 4.4 per cent of those said they did not go hunting despite having renewed their annual licence.

Head of the Game Fund Pantelis Hadjiyerou told the Cyprus Mail that there were complaints every Wednesday and Sunday during the three hunting seasons starting at the end of August and lasting till the end of February of the following year.

The Game Fund has under 250 employees for the whole of Cyprus, who work shifts to cover 24 hours per day all year round. The fund’s purpose is to protect Cyprus’ wildlife, assist in firefighting and regulate hunting.

“At any given time we have three to six patrols in each district,” Hadjiyerou explained.

“The more people we have, the better it will be. But it is not possible for every hunter to have a policeman next to him. We try to do our best with those we have,” he said.

However, he cautioned against excessive complaints.

“Hunters should not come into conflict with the local population because hunting is their tradition. Statistically, there are no injuries of people. On Wednesdays and Sundays there will be a bit of noise. But hunters should not shoot near homes. Yes, it is a disturbance to hear gunshots and dogs, but if there is tolerance there are fewer problems for everyone. They should respect each other.,” he said.

“Non hunters should put some water in their wine,” he quipped.

According to the Game and Fauna Fund annual survey published in May 2025, hunting licences issued for the 2024-2025 hunting year were 37,817, down by 1.9 per cent compared to the 38,557 of the previous period.

Around 4.4 per cent of hunters said they had renewed their licence but had not actually hunted.

The survey also indicated that in 2024 hunters went home with fewer hares and partridges: a 20 per cent drop in hares and 30.3 per cent drop in partridges, compared to the previous year.

However, the survey admits that these numbers may not have dropped as much as indicated, as a percentage was hunted by individuals who had not renewed their licences.

“It is not that many that don’t renew their hunting licences. By law, if you haven’t renewed your hunting licence, when you are arrested the fine begins at €2,000 plus all the licences that have not been renewed since the last valid permit,” Hadjiyerou said.

Hunting licences are linked to gun permits, so in order to obtain a hunting licence, one must first have a gun permit.

“It is forbidden to use someone else’s gun. You have to have your own gun, registered in your name.”

Hadjiyerou explained that the law in Cyprus is “one of the strictest and dates from the time of British colonial rule”.

Anyone over the age of 18 can obtain a hunting licence and gun permit, as long as they meet certain prerequisites. These include not having been convicted for domestic violence or possession of explosives, not having been imprisoned, and men must have served in the army and, if not, they must not have been exempted for psychological reasons.

“If you are caught with drugs, domestic violence, you are deprived of the right to possess a gun. Some may still go hunting but it takes ten years from being convicted – even for 1g of cannabis – to be able to have a gun permit,” Hadjiyerou explained.

Would-be hunters must also attend lessons and pass exams, which they can do at the age of 17. The lessons are organised by the Game Fund and have theoretical and practical parts, including wildlife conservation, legislation and use of a gun at a shooting range.

“There is control over who can possess a gun.”

Despite having passed the exams and obtained a licence, some hunters still break the law, shooting close to houses and causing fear.

In areas where hunting is allowed, hunters must maintain a 200m distance from isolated houses, as that span is considered a prohibited area by law.

Nevertheless, complaints are constant regarding shooting at a closer range than allowed, pellets hitting windows and falling on people in their gardens, hunters hiding by the side of the road waiting for game and loud shots from the early hours of the morning.

When this happens, the Game Fund is notified either directly or through a complaint to the police.

“We have to respond to all these cases,” Hadjiyerou told the Cyprus Mail, explaining that if a hunter is arrested, it takes a good part of the day to testify, gather evidence and file a case.

“The hunters might not understand that by hunting near homes they are causing fear and that people will react, in turn causing the hunting areas to become smaller and in the end it is the hunters that will be missing out.”

The interior minister has the last word in delineating hunting areas, based on information received by hunting associations, community councils and letters from individuals, residents and farmers. “We receive many complaints.”

Hadjiyerou said illegal hunting was not a huge issue. There are two kinds of illegal hunters: those in prohibited areas and those without valid licences, the latter being “definitely below 5 per cent” of hunters.

In any case, the number of hunters is steadily declining, and game is also affected by various factors, such as disturbed habitats, climate change and the number one predator – cats.

Dwindling numbers aside, hunting in Cyprus is “an instinctive behaviour”.

“Here people hunted to eat. There is a different mentality. We might not want to admit it, but hunting is an instinctive behaviour,” Hadjiyerou said.

There are three hunting seasons. For 2025-2026, the seasons are:

Summer season from August 24 till October 31, 2025, for common wood pigeons, turtle doves and other similar species.

Endemic game season from November 2 till December 28, 2025, for partridges, francolins and hares, along with song thrushes.

From the end of December till February there are the migratory thrushes.

“There are very few ducks as there are not enough wetlands, and all wetlands are game reserves. It is forbidden. Hunting in the sea is also prohibited.”

Some species adapt better than others, and those that can only live in the countryside are being pushed out of their habitats due to country homes popping up. “When a house is built in the countryside, people have cats, which are the worst predator for wildlife,” Hadjiyerou said.

Land use changes have also impacted many species, including the disappearance of hedgerows, different harvesting seasons and the use of pesticides.

“Climate change has a tremendous impact. Winter does not come at the time it should, migratory species get trapped in cold temperatures. Trees die. House sparrows are an example […] They have no place to build nests,” Hadjiyerou said.

WHO TO CALL: People can call the Game Fund patrols directly if they believe hunters are breaking the law. Nicosia 99445697, Limassol 99445728, Famagusta 99634325 and Paphos 99445679.

VULTURES

One of most the endangered species in Cyprus is the griffon vulture. This is because “it has been forbidden to dump carcasses in the countryside and the vultures can’t find food”.

The vultures are under threat by indirect poisoning from baits set for foxes and hounds, reduction of food availability and collisions with electric cables and wind turbines.

“We had to bring vultures from abroad. Now we have special ‘restaurants’ for the vultures where we place carcasses with the permission of the veterinary services. Otherwise, they cannot survive,” Hadjiyerou said.

FOXES

“Foxes are increasing, unfortunately. They are omnivorous and opportunistic, and there is nothing to regulate their population, there is no predator for the fox. They are everywhere and people feed them, and then they impact other species,” Hadjiyerou said.

In this case, he added, it is “humans who disrupt the balance”.

“People should not leave food out for the foxes. They increase and impact wildlife. It’s a vicious circle,” he explained.

MOUFFLON

The moufflon population on the island is now on the rise, however they are being pushed out of their habitat.

“They are already in areas they didn’t use to be. People were complaining about the cutting of forest trees, and so it was stopped. Then the forests became denser – and more susceptible to fires – and the habitat was no longer suitable for the moufflon,” Hadjiyerou said.

At the moment, there are “several thousand moufflon” now moving to less densely forested areas. Their predators are stray dogs and they are also vulnerable to certain diseases that affect farm animals, such as foot and mouth disease, as they graze together.

The moufflon are not in danger from legitimate hunters, but from a handful of poachers.