The Sovereign Base Area Police in Dhekelia last week brought a local Cypriot man in for questioning after he was found to have a protected Long-Legged Buzzard Eagle in a cage at his dog farm in Ormidhia.

The man claims to have been nursing the eagle back to health after he found it shot and injured, but police have confirmed he had not reported it to the authorities and they are currently investigating the claim.

The SBA Community Action Team discovered the eagle whilst looking for mistnets during an early morning operation.

Officers saw a large ‘bird’ being kept in a cage in a semi-fenced-off area and upon further investigation, they discovered the eagle, which has a wing-span of 120 centimetres.

The eagle, which is said to have a potential value of €35,000 if sold on the black market, has now been handed over to the Republic of Cyprus Game Fund and it has been taken to the Nicosia Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

Chief Inspector Mustafa Kemal revealed that this was an unusual case.
“The case is still under investigation so it is still too early to say what exact circumstances led to us finding this protected eagle,” he said.

“It is safe to say we do not have cases like this every day and we are pleased that we have been able to hand it over to the Game Fund, who are experts and will be able to look after it and return it to full health.”