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The land of cats has a feline problem. Officials successful Cyprus estimation there is astir 1 feral feline for each 1 of its 1 cardinal inhabitants – though activists contend the existent colonisation is hundreds of thousands higher.
In precocious September, the island’s parliamentary committee connected the situation was told that an existing sterilization programme is too constricted to incorporate the burgeoning feline population.
“It’s a bully program, but it needs to expand,” said Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou, noting that the programme conducts lone astir 2,000 sterilizations annually connected a fund of conscionable €100,000.
While there is nary authoritative comparative data, Theodosiou said Cyprus has gained a estimation for having a feline colonisation that is exceptionally ample comparative to its quality inhabitants.
‘There has to beryllium a plan’
Change mightiness beryllium connected the way, but backing unsocial won’t solve Cyprus’s feline problem.
Appearing to heed calls for much funding, Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou announced connected October 4 – World Animal Day – that the authorities would rise feline sterilization backing to €300,000 annually. The determination was hailed arsenic a important step forward.
However, Charalambos Theopemptou, president of the Parliamentary Environment Committee, warned against relying connected wealth alone. “There has to beryllium a plan,” helium said. “We can’t conscionable spell up with sterilizations without having a plan,” helium said.
Given cats’ predatory nature, a ample colonisation not lone has the imaginable to wreak havoc with the island’s ecosystem, but it could origin undue suffering for feral felines roaming car-choked streets successful hunt of nutrient and shelter.
Cyprus’ historical cats
Cyprus has a agelong past arsenic a cat-loving federation where feline nutrient dispensaries and clusters of small houses are a regular show on fashionable footpaths.
Two decades ago, French archaeologists unearthed what they believed to beryllium the earliest grounds of a domesticated feline successful a 9,500-year-old neolithic village. They recovered the bones of a feline adjacent to the skeletal remains of a human, suggesting that they were buried together.
Adding to this agelong past of human-feline transportation is the 4th-century fable of Saint Helen who, aft uncovering the True Cross successful the Holy Lands, brought implicit a mates of boatloads of cats to woody with a snake infestation. A monastery that serves arsenic a feline harmless haven, St. Nicholas of the Cats, still exists today.
With tourism a cardinal economical operator for Cyprus, the island’s cats person go a large attraction for the millions of vacationers who descend connected the land each year. The well-fed felines are a communal sight, often seen feasting connected leftovers provided by visitors astatine the plethora of restaurants where they similar to bent out.
Felines galore
Demetris Epaminondas, president of the Veterinary Association, attributes the exploding colonisation to unchecked breeding, peculiarly successful high-concentration municipality areas, and to much kittens surviving birth, thanks to mean folks offering care.
The existent government-run programme disburses its fund to municipalities which, successful turn, money backstage veterinarians to sterilize cats brought successful by carnal conservation groups.
Authorities admit the programme is ineffective.
The country’s state-run Veterinary Services, which is successful complaint of sterilizations, conceded that the program’s capabilities are “lesser than the existent need.” To reassess where available backing could beryllium redistributed, it has asked section authorities authorities to submit reports connected locations with ample feral feline concentrations.
Elias Demetriou who runs the backstage sanctuary Friends of Larnaca Cats said tripling sterilization funds won’t person the desired effect unless conservationist groups who person the know-how are recruited to circular up cats for sterilization.
Eleni Loizidou, caput of Cat Alert, a volunteer enactment caring for strays successful Nicosia, said her organization’s caller efforts to circular up 397 feral cats from the metropolis halfway were a specified driblet successful the water – and that too fewer females are being sterilized, partially due to the fact that of the trouble successful trapping feral cats.
‘There are solutions’
Epaminondas, the Veterinary Association president, said Cyprus’ feline colonisation tin beryllium brought under power successful arsenic fewer arsenic 4 years. This would beryllium possible, helium said, if authorities cobble together a unified sterilization program that would enactment backstage clinics astatine the forefront of the effort by offering free-of-charge neutering without each the reddish tape that complicates the process.
“People will beryllium much motivated to get cats neutered if we marque it easier for them to bash so,” helium said.
His relation has projected a program that would place large feline attraction centers where authorities tin circular them up and take them for sterilization astatine designated vets. The inaugural includes the instauration of a smartphone exertion that would let anyone to assistance authorities find such ample feline concentrations.
The state tin debar bearing the afloat outgo of the programme by mounting up a money where radical and businesses tin donate, according to Epaminondas. The minister’s announcement astir tripling the sterilization budget, helium said, could enactment arsenic a important inducement for much firm donations.
The outgo of sterilizing a pistillate feral feline successful Cyprus is €55, which goes up to €120 for domesticated cats brought successful by owners, arsenic they person much specialized care.
Theodosiou, the situation commissioner, said her staff person worked connected a semipermanent strategy that would bring together government, conservationists, and volunteers to found a precise feline colonisation number and pave the way for a wide sterilization program. The program would besides legalize backstage feline sanctuaries.
“There are solutions,” Cat Alert’s main Loizidou said. [AP]
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