THE ANIMAL Party will stage a protest on Tuesday outside the ministry of agriculture and environment against the creation of a crocodile park in Cyprus.
The protest will take place at 11am.
A joint Israeli-Cyprus venture is seeking permission to set up a crocodile park despite the controversy it has stirred up over the past year when the news first emerged.
The application by TSA Crocopark Ltd, which is being discussed by the Environmental Impact Assessment committee, reduced the number of Nile crocodiles from the originally proposed 1,002 to about 170-220. Under the proposal the site would be located off the Nicosia-Limassol highway near the Choirokoitia exit.
The Nile crocodiles would come from Fatzael Crocodile Park in Israel which was closed down after 70 creatures escaped in 2011 causing mass panic in the area. Residents of Psematismenos and Tochni had refused to consider the matter last year when it was first raised last year.
The Animal Party said on Monday the message they wanted to send the minister of agriculture was clear. “We will not let the minister to turn Cyprus into a vast zoo,” a statement said.
“The majority of citizens are against these developments while you insist in dolphinariums and parks, a crocodile slaughterhouses and introducing every kind of exotic animal,” it added, also making reference to the Siberian tigers recently acquired by a Nicosia zoo, and two Asian elephants at a Paphos zoo.
Anna R: The government won’t be happy until somebody gets their leg taken off by a croc. How are the animals in the zoos? Are they well treated with adequate space? Cypriots on the whole are not great animal lovers.
@Who gives, Seems to be a national past time to shoot, poison anything they that walks swims or flies…..does make me sick…..thankfully not genetic encoded in Cypriots….seems it has all to do with where you have been raised…..
Deeds issue absolute joke, and got all my letters ready to all the finance committee members to express my outrage, and basically question the whole delay or even shelving of the bill….
@houlou agree Cyprus should be more concerned about their terrible way they treat poor innocent Cats & Dogs that roam the streets looking for food and comfort only to be abused which is shocking.
Cyprus is now famous for two show stoppers Animal Cruelty and the with holding title deeds which both is criminal act should be punished.
Lets face it the locals should be concerned, Cyprus is pretty good at letting wild animals free to roam and devour the innocent, and instead prefers to lock up the small time harmless ones!