US EditionAn estimated 1 million cats prowl the streets of Cyprus as officials scramble to check their numbers
- On Oct. 4, Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou announced the government will raise cat sterilization funding to 300,000 euros annually, after officials estimated roughly one feral cat per 1 million inhabitants.
- Demetris Epaminondas attributes the boom to unchecked breeding in urban high-concentration areas and higher kitten survival from ordinary people offering care.
- Volunteers and officials note logistical hurdles, with the sterilization program performing 2,000 procedures annually on a 100,000-euro budget and trapping only 397 feral cats in Nicosia.
- Antonia Theodosiou outlined a long-term strategy to unite government, conservationists and volunteers for a precise population count and mass sterilization involving private clinics.
- Environmental risks include harm to Cyprus' ecosystem and cat suffering, while tourism and conservation interests collide as millions of vacationers are drawn to the cats, with control possible in four years.
16 Articles
16 Articles
This poses a serious threat to the local ecosystem.
Residents and animal rights activists are trying new ways to control felines as the popular island of Cyprus experiences an overpopulation of cats.
Associated Press News
Cyprus has a cat problem: One feline for every resident
Cyprus has a cat problem. Officials estimate the small island nation in the Mediterranean has about one cat for every one of its approximately 1 million human population.
The Cypriots are traditionally large cats lovers. Even strays are often fed and cared for. As a result, they have increased so much that at least as many cats as humans live on the island. Sterilisation programs have shown little success so far.
The sterilization program administered by the government is ineffective, as it distributes budget to municipalities that, in turn, finance private veterinarians
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