Hike on the marked routes and do not leave the trail,this will ensure you will not get  lost and that you stay away from vulnerable areas and habitats.

Remember , many trails are in isolated sparsely populated areas so walk in groups, and make sure you are properly prepared. Wear stout shoes and summer make sure you carry water and sun protection.

In the heat of a Cyprus summer you may find walking considerably more strenuous then you would normally do so, take this  into account and plan your routes and distances accordingly.

Mobile phones will not be able to receive a signal on many of the trails, do not rely on them for telephone or positioning  services.

Fire is a serious risk in the summer,  light fires only in designated picnic sites, and make sure fires are properly extinguished before moving on.

Leave the trail cleaner than you found it, do not throw litter or  empty food  or drink cartons.

Do not pick or uproot flowers or plants, apart from being against the law this causes harm to the habitat and ecology of the areas.

Keep dogs under tight control and do not allow them to chase wildlife.

Protest and do not disturb wildlife.

Leave only your footprints, take nothing but memories and photographs.

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Record 1.4 million migratory birds killed in Cyprus
A record 1.4 million migratory birds were illegally trapped and killed over the key autumn season to feed an illicit Cypriot taste for such delicacies, a conservationist group say.
A survey by Birdlife Cyprus carried out between September and October 2010 showed more than a million birds were indiscriminately killed with mist nets and limesticks.
“The picture emerging from autumn 2010 is one of a bird trapping disaster on a scale unseen since Birdlife’s monitoring work began almost 10 years ago,” said a Birdlife statement.
Autumn trapping levels have been on a general upward trend for four years while mist netting levels are at a nine-year high according to the group. It said the figures showed a “serious failure” on the part of both Cypriot authorities and British Sovereign Base Areas where illegal trappings are rife.
“As EU Member States both obligations under the EU Birds Directive to protect birds, and migrant birds in particular,” said Birdlife. It said a clampdown on restaurants was needed to prevent Cyprus revisiting the 1990s when up to 10 million birds were killed.
A huge crackdown on trappers and restaurants was enforced before Cyprus joined the European Union in May 2004, but now conservationists say the government lacks the political will to eradicate the trade.

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Flora And Fauna

Cyprus is home to a wide variety of herbaceous plants, some 130 of which are  endemic. In the spring, there is a riotous blossoming of poppies, anemones,cyclamen, iris gladioli, tulip and crown daisies. Approximately fifty species and subspecies of orchid are found, including several endemics.

Rare plants, such as the Cyprus Tulip and cyclamen, will fascinate botanists, while geologists can marvel at majestic rock formations derived from millions of years old oceanic crust.

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Wildlife

Birds on the spring and autumn north-south migration use Cyprus as a stopping point and the two Salt lakes (Larnaca and Akrotiri) offer a winter home to large flocks of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). Nightingales, golden orioles, hoopoes, rollers and bee-eaters are among the visitors and residents include several endemic species, such as the Cyprus Warbler and the Cyprus Wheatear.

The endemic mouflon (Ovis orientalis ophion), a type of wild sheep, is considered by many to be Cyprus’ national animal. At one time, these beautiful yet shy animals were hunted almost to extinction. Following a captive-breeding programme the species has been saved and today is located in and around the Pafos Forest.    They are best seen in a reserve at the Stavros tis Psokas Forest Station, in the Troodos range.

Cyprus is also one of the few remaining nesting grounds for the endangered Green Turtle (Chelonia mydias) and the Loggerhead Turtle(Caretta Caretta).

Although not a wild animal in danger of extinction, the Cyprus donkey has always been an important feature of rural life as both a form of transport and a beast of burden. Villagers from the remoter areas can still be seen riding and working with donkeys, and a Donkey Sanctuary   is found at the village of Vouni.

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The Dilemma of Animal Parks

You might be surprised to learn that a pair of spotted hyenas lives just outside Nicosia on the road to Ayioi Trimithias-probably as incredulous as I was when I first heard.

Adopting the “seeing is believing” principle, I visited Melios Pet Park and found that , besides a pet shop selling macaws, a colourful array of smaller dirds, and various pets belonging to the rodent family, the park opened into a larger viewing space housing exotic birds and mammals.

Experiencing llamas native to South America and hyenas native to southern Africa in a park just, outside my hometown raises questions over 200-style establishments in Cyprus and animal welfare.

Menelaos Menelaou, founder of Melios Pet Park, has already applied fora zoo licence. Why does he consider it important to display such a collection of animals to the public?

The principal reason was that it educated people” who learn to  appreciate animals more,” as “it’s one thing seeing them from up close and quite another viewing them from the television”

Kyriacos Kyriacou, co-founder of Animal Responsibility Cyprus (ARC), disagrees,arguing that children and adults alike should learn to appreciate the animal kingdom by witnessing true animal behaviour and habitats not the illusion of the wild animal through cage bars.

For this reason,ARC has teamed up with the World Society for the Protection of Animals to promote the development of aneco-zoo in Cyprus, which , with the help of technology and participation of big national parks, would allow visitors to survey the animals in their natural environment, or one as close to it as possible.

At present, the proposed eco-zoo is still under consideration, but animal parks with limited space still exist around Cyprus –besides Melios Pet Park, there is also Paphos Bird Park- the only park currently holding a zoo licence-and other smaller establishments around the island

While creating environmental awareness and  an appreciation towards animal life on an island where wildlife is sparse is important , is it moral to [lace an animal from nature into a confined enclosure on the grounds of education?

To my query, Menelaou responded that animals in his park had either been imported from zoos in Europe or were born and raised in captivity-with the exception of some birds fromTanzania-thereby avoiding their direct removal from nature.

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