Cyprus Activists Say Hunters' Lead Pellets Threaten Flamingos
2021-03-01
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1Animal activists in Cyprus are asking officials to expand a hunting ban throughout a group of salt lakes near the coast.
2They are worried that migrating flamingos could possibly eat deadly amounts of lead shotgun pellets.
3A flamingo is a large bird, usually bright pink or orange, that often walks along the water line in coastal areas.
4Martin Hellicar is director of Birdlife Cyprus.
5He said flamingos are at risk of eating the small pellets that lie on the edge of the water as they feed.
6"Last year, we had tens of losses of flamingos," Hellicar said.
7Cyprus is an important stop on the migration path for many kinds of birds flying from Africa to Europe.
8The Larnaca Salt Lake is a wetlands area of four lakes.
9As many as 15,000 flamingos from colder climates arrive on the southern coast of the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean.
10They stay through the winter and leave in March.
11Hunting is banned around most of the Larnaca Salt Lake.
12But hunters are still permitted to shoot ducks in the area's southern end.
13The government's Game and Fauna Service says in the first two months of 2020, 96 flamingos were found dead in the Larnaca Salt Lake wetlands as a result of lead poisoning.
14Panayiotis Constantinou is an official with Cyprus Veterinary Services.
15He has examined the dead birds and confirmed that they were poisoned by lead.
16The amount of lead pellets increased two years ago, after a heavy rain caused many to come up from the ground around the lake.
17A sport shooting range near the lake's northern end closed nearly 18 years ago.
18Officials then organized a clean-up of lead pellets in the area.
19But Hellicar says the clean-up was not effective.
20The European Union paid for an investigation to identify where large amounts of lead pellets remain so they can be removed.
21Early results show "very high" lead levels in the wetlands' southern tip.
22Continued duck hunting there could make the problem worse, Hellicar said.
23"The danger is real for the flamingos and other birds that use the area," he said.
24Cyprus Hunting Federation official Alexandros Loizides disagrees.
25He says that hunting in a 200-meter area is not a problem due to the small number of hunters.
26He said chemicals used by nearby farms are creating a pollution problem that hurts the birds.
27"I think the effect of hunting there is very small on the specific part of the lake," said Loizides.
28"It'd be a shame for hunters to lose the only area where hunting is permitted near wetlands," he added.
29A ban on the use of lead pellets near wetlands has been in force in Cyprus for several years.
30A similar ban throughout the EU took effect last month.
31But some say the laws are not being enforced enough.
32Pantelis Hadjiyeros is head of the Game and Fauna Service.
33He said it is less important to ban hunting in the area and more important to urge hunters to stop using weapons with lead pellets.
34People need to know and accept "that the use of lead pellets is prohibited near wetlands and that only steel pellets are permitted," Hadjiyeros said.
35I'm Susan Shand.
1Animal activists in Cyprus are asking officials to expand a hunting ban throughout a group of salt lakes near the coast. They are worried that migrating flamingos could possibly eat deadly amounts of lead shotgun pellets. 2A flamingo is a large bird, usually bright pink or orange, that often walks along the water line in coastal areas. 3Martin Hellicar is director of Birdlife Cyprus. He said flamingos are at risk of eating the small pellets that lie on the edge of the water as they feed. 4"Last year, we had tens of losses of flamingos," Hellicar said. 5Cyprus is an important stop on the migration path for many kinds of birds flying from Africa to Europe. The Larnaca Salt Lake is a wetlands area of four lakes. As many as 15,000 flamingos from colder climates arrive on the southern coast of the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean. They stay through the winter and leave in March. 6Hunting is banned around most of the Larnaca Salt Lake. But hunters are still permitted to shoot ducks in the area's southern end. 7The government's Game and Fauna Service says in the first two months of 2020, 96 flamingos were found dead in the Larnaca Salt Lake wetlands as a result of lead poisoning. 8Panayiotis Constantinou is an official with Cyprus Veterinary Services. He has examined the dead birds and confirmed that they were poisoned by lead. 9The amount of lead pellets increased two years ago, after a heavy rain caused many to come up from the ground around the lake. 10A sport shooting range near the lake's northern end closed nearly 18 years ago. Officials then organized a clean-up of lead pellets in the area. But Hellicar says the clean-up was not effective. 11The European Union paid for an investigation to identify where large amounts of lead pellets remain so they can be removed. 12Early results show "very high" lead levels in the wetlands' southern tip. Continued duck hunting there could make the problem worse, Hellicar said. 13"The danger is real for the flamingos and other birds that use the area," he said. 14Cyprus Hunting Federation official Alexandros Loizides disagrees. He says that hunting in a 200-meter area is not a problem due to the small number of hunters. He said chemicals used by nearby farms are creating a pollution problem that hurts the birds. 15"I think the effect of hunting there is very small on the specific part of the lake," said Loizides. "It'd be a shame for hunters to lose the only area where hunting is permitted near wetlands," he added. 16A ban on the use of lead pellets near wetlands has been in force in Cyprus for several years. A similar ban throughout the EU took effect last month. But some say the laws are not being enforced enough. 17Pantelis Hadjiyeros is head of the Game and Fauna Service. He said it is less important to ban hunting in the area and more important to urge hunters to stop using weapons with lead pellets. 18People need to know and accept "that the use of lead pellets is prohibited near wetlands and that only steel pellets are permitted," Hadjiyeros said. 19I'm Susan Shand. 20The Associated Press reported on this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 21_______________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 24pellet - n. a small metal object that is shot from a gun 25fauna - n. all the animals that live in a particular area, time period, or environment 26shame - n.a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you know you have done something wrong 27specific - adj. special or particular 28prohibit - v. to order someone not to use or do something