In Cyprus no-man's land, owls come to the rescue of farmers

DENEIA - Standing amid ears of wheat growing tall in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, farmer Christodoulos Christodoulou can rest easy.

BirdLife says the objectives of the project are to encourage farmers to abandon using poison and to help repopulate the barn owl population of Cyprus, which has been in decline across Europe. Rodents have proliferated in the corridor in the absence of large amounts of human activity – ransacking agricultural areas.Farmers have often tried to address the situation with rat poison – harmful to both humans and the environment – before the launch of the initiative.

BirdLife director Martin Hellicar, who counts more than 1,300 owl boxes across Cyprus, attributes the success of the project to farmers becoming “attached to the barn owls and reconnecting with nature”. The small creatures blink, blinded by the daylight. With an expert hand, Mr Nikos Kassinis attaches a ring to them with an identification number.Every year, authorities find the bodies of around 20 owls. Autopsies reveal that many die as a result of consuming rat poison.

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Cyprus labours to shield reputation amid new US, UK action on Russian 'sanctions evasion network'NICOSIA, Cyprus: For Cypriots, it was a collective “here we go again” moment. In April, the US and the UK included a handful of Cypriot nationals and Cyprus-registered companies on a list of “enablers” helping Russian oligarchs skirt sanctions. It was an unwelcome reminder of the lingering percepti
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Evening Update: Today's headlines from The Straits Times on June 9, 2023Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: straits_times - 🏆 5. / 69 Read more »

Water gradually receding after dam breach in flooded Ukraine regions, say officialsThe floods Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: STForeignDesk - 🏆 4. / 71 Read more »

Manga draws students to Queensway Secondary’s librarySINGAPORE - Some people might not consider comics and manga as “real” reading. But Queensway Secondary School has chosen to bring in such titles, to pique the interest of some of its students who are reluctant to read. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: straits_times - 🏆 5. / 69 Read more »

China envoy in South Korea warns of ‘wrong bets’ over Sino-US rivalryThe envoy blamed Seoul for creating “difficulties” for bilateral ties by failing to respect Beijing’s core interests. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: STForeignDesk - 🏆 4. / 71 Read more »

Trump’s Republican rivals criticise ‘weaponisation’ of US Justice Department after indictmentThe indictment of a former US president on federal charges is unprecedented in American history. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: STForeignDesk - 🏆 4. / 71 Read more »