Boy of 14 injured in hunting accident
By Leo Leonidou
A 14-YEAR-old boy was injured on Saturday morning in a hunting accident in Kato Milou.
The incident happened at 8.10am when the rifle his father was holding discharged, sending pellets into his son’s left leg from close range.
The 44-year-old hunter is reported to have fallen after losing his balance, causing the rifle to go off.
The man applied first aid, before driving the teenager to the medical centre in Agros. He was transferred to Nicosia General Hospital, where surgery was carried out, as the pellets had damaged tendons behind the boy’s knee.
Police are investigating exactly what happened, with the father called in for questioning.
Four people from Nicosia were arrested on Sunday for hunting in non-designated areas.
Two were caught in Ha Potami with two hunting rifles, 14 bullets and two birds while the other pair was apprehended in Ilioupolis with a rifle, ammunition and five freshly killed birds.
The new hunting season began last Sunday with appeals by the government for safety.
Eleven hunters, including a teenager, were injured on the first day alone.
Three hunters received facial injuries from stray pellets, while six others were injured to various other parts of their bodies.
The Green Party yesterday expressed its concern regarding the number of hunting accidents and called for more stringent measures to protect minors.
“Yesterday was the second Sunday of this autumn’s hunting season and unfortunately accidents were again noted, including another underage victim,” a statement said.
“The Green Party wants to report the indifference of the responsible bodies that do not dare raise the issue of the participation of underage children in hunting expeditions. The competent officials also refuse to enforce the legal framework pertaining to issues of personal insurance of hunters.
“We hope that we will not see a third underage victim, and that we will not have any other victims due to hunting accidents, but unfortunately wishful thinking is not enough.”
The Party added that the time was ripe for a bold dialogue to take place dealing with the need to reduce the number of hunting licences issued yearly.
“The crowding of hunters is a vital security threat but also leads to the destruction of nature, as well as taking away the ‘enjoyment’ hunting allegedly offers to hunters,” the statement said.
This year there is more game, with the number of hare released in the wild up by 15 to 20 per cent and about 150,000 partridges freed for the season.
Interior Minister Christos Patsalides has urged hunters to comply with the written as well as the unwritten laws governing this sport and to pay the utmost attention to their safety and the safety of others.
The UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus has warned hunters not to venture into the buffer zone as, “they are running the risk of drawing fire from either of the opposite forces. Hunters wearing camouflage outfits and carrying guns are easily mistaken for soldiers. Firing guns in the area between the ceasefire lines increases tension because soldiers on duty cannot immediately determine where the shots have come from and may feel obliged to react.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007
Do these people have any brains? Don't they want to learn from the past.
Every year, I read the same news.
Why do these idiots take children with them? Why do they not put the safety catch when walking? So many whys....
