THE EUROPEAN SLAUGHTER OF SONG BIRDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN — A REPORT FROM PROTECT THE WILD

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Songbirds are slaughtered in Cyprus and Britain has blood on its hands Every night, nets rise, wings break, and silence spreads across the British bases of Cyprus. This is our responsibility to end the songbird slaughter. CHARLOTTE SMITH OCT 12 READ IN APP If you have been shocked and saddened to learn of the illegal slaughter of songbirds in Cyprus, we have one last, devastating truth to share and one last call to action that could save countless lives. Because Cyprus isn’t alone in allowing this horror to continue. Britain has a part to play. And we need just five seconds of your time to help stop it. Every year across the Mediterranean, hundreds of thousands of tiny migratory birds robins, thrushes, blackcaps, and warblers are trapped, tortured, and killed in ways so cruel they defy belief. And one of the worst killing grounds of all lies not in some distant foreign land, but on British-owned territory. Within the Eastern Sovereign Base Area’s (ESBA) of Cyprus, land administered by the British Government, ruthless wildlife criminals operate under cover of darkness. They erect vast mist nets and lime stick sites, snaring small birds by the thousands. Every year, up to half a million songbirds die here, their bodies sold for Ambelopoulia, a dish banned across Europe since 1974. Stop the songbird slaughter Stop the songbird slaughter We’ve seen this slaughter first-hand. We have held the tiny, beating hearts of birds as we fought to free them from traps. We have cradled the broken bodies of those crushed between human fingers, their injuries so severe, they couldn’t be saved. We have watched others take their final breath in our hands, their feathers trembling, their eyes dimming, all because of greed and indifference. And yet, we have also seen hope take flight. We have watched the uninjured soar from our palms, their wings catching the light, continuing the migration they were born to make. s What’s Happening Now The ESBA was established for defence, not to aid cruel crimes. Yet today, that same land has become a haven for wildlife crime, largely due to weak, inconsistent, and delayed enforcement. Trapping happens between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., but official patrols often don’t begin until 5 a.m., long after the trappers have fled, leaving behind bloodied traps, broken wings, and lifeless bird bodies. Meanwhile, CABS (Committee Against Bird Slaughter) volunteers are working through the night, taking on the job that should fall to the authorities. They cut nets, free birds, and gather vital evidence for prosecution that the ESBA should be collecting. These brave individuals face intimidation, threats, and violence from organised crime gangs, while performing a public service on British land. And instead of being supported, they are left to confront criminals alone. This is unacceptable. The ESBA once proved that progress is possible. When a dedicated 24-hour anti-trapping unit operated, bird illegal trapping on British soil plummeted. But that teams schedule was quietly changed, and the slaughter returned. Stop the songbird slaughter CABS gather to begin their vital work rescuing birds and holding criminals to account. Stop the songbird slaughter The birds, those that are tapped and slaughtered on ESBA land, are the same robins that visit your garden, the same blackcaps that sing in our hedgerows and other warblers that fill our mornings with song. They travel thousands of miles across oceans, only to die in agony on soil under British authority. This issue is our responsibility, and Britian’s wrong to make right. What We Demand We are calling on you, our supporters, to ask the British Government, the ESBA , and the ESBA Police to act, not with words, but with will. The Eastern Sovereign Base Area was built for defence, not to harbour cruelty. Every night that passes without action is a night of terror for the wild, and a mark of shame on Britain’s name. We demand that the British authorities: Reinstate and properly fund a permanent, 24-hour anti-trapping enforcement team within the ESBA. Lives are lost in the hours of inaction, this must end. Deploy night patrols that match the trappers’ hours (11 p.m.–6 a.m.), intercepting them in real time, not after dawn, when the killing is done. Protect CABS volunteers and all anti-poaching personnel from intimidation and violence. These brave people stand between life and death for countless birds, they must not stand alone. Ensure transparency and accountability, publish full data on patrols, prosecutions, and trapping hotspots. The world deserves to see the truth. Work side by side with conservation organisations like CABS, sharing intelligence, evidence, and resources to dismantle the criminal networks profiting from this cruelty. Honour Britain’s legal and moral obligations to protect wildlife and uphold international conservation laws across all its territories. Britain cannot call itself a world leader in conservation while turning a blind eye to wildlife crime on its own land. Every night of inaction means more tiny hearts crushed in the dark, and more danger for the people who risk their lives to stop it. We demand that the British authorities take immediate, visible, and lasting action to: End trapping. Restore integrity to Britain’s promises. Protect the Wild. Because these are not “foreign” birds. They are the wild’s birds and it’s time for Britain to act. Stop the songbird slaughter SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing