Turtles die under boats, and barn owls die from wires

The death of turtles and fish in the sea off the coast of Pervolia has attracted media attention. Journalists suggested malicious intent in the incident, but this theory was refuted by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research.

On August 29, the media published reports that dead animals and fish had washed up on the shores of Pervolia. They linked their deaths to a possible explosion and military exercises in the area. However, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research denied these speculations. Its representatives said that a couple of dead turtles and a couple of fish could not indicate a mass death.

The department called the incident an isolated incident and noted that turtles do not always die due to human intervention. They die from natural causes such as disease, parasites and predators. “The animal and fish deaths may be independent incidents that coincided in the same area due to existing sea currents and waves,” the department said in a statement.

Photos of the green turtle appear to have been dead for several days before the current washed it onto the beach. There is nothing to indicate that the turtle was killed by an explosion or shock wave. But an autopsy is necessary to determine the exact cause of death.

There have been no military exercises using live ammunition in the area in recent months.

“It is important to note that the population of sea turtles in Cyprus has increased in recent years. This has led to a relative increase in reported deaths,” the department noted. The agency will continue efforts to ensure the protection of all protected marine species, including the treatment of injured and sick sea turtles. One of these green turtles, Emilia, has been under treatment since August 3.

The topic of the death of turtles was raised on his Facebook account by public figure Doros Polikarpou, head of the human rights organization KISA. He said that in tourist areas, owners of pleasure boats feed turtles so that they get used to the presence of boats and appear on the surface of the water, amusing tourists. As a result, turtles become less vigilant and may be killed or injured by ships.

Meanwhile, two more griffon vultures died in August after colliding with power lines. This was reported by the non-governmental organization Birdlife Cyprus. The number of deaths from lekking of birds of this species has been six since the beginning of 2024. The first pair of vultures died from electrocution in May, followed by another pair a few weeks later and two more in August.

“As the vulture population grows and more birds are equipped with GPS tags, more information is becoming available about the threats they face,” the NGO said in a statement. Electrocution currently remains the second most important threat to griffon vultures on the island.

The two females who died were Iris and Kan, aged three and one years respectively. They were brought to Cyprus from Spain as part of efforts to save the population of the species. Iris died on August 2, and Kahn died on August 25. The cause of death of the two birds was confirmed by necropsies performed by the Veterinary Services.

The Cyprus Electrical Organization was notified of the birds' deaths. Power lines in non-residential areas are usually not insulated because insulating wires that long would be too expensive.

The text was prepared based on materials from Cyprus Mail and Politis 

Meanwhile

The pheasant hunting season has started. Game Department spokesman Petros Anagiotis said 20,000 hunters opened the season on August 25. Read more here.