Cyprus-Forum.com

[insan]

The moufflon's connection with Cyprus is almost as long as the presence of man on the island. It is thought that they were brought here in Neolithic times (around 6000 BC) and that they were abundant in number

http://www.marycy.org/cyprus.html

[insan]

http://www.cypenv.org/Files/wildlife.htm

Excellent website abt wildlife of Cyprus and environmental problems.

However it seems like we don't have as much interest on wildlife as we have interest on politics.

Hunting
No essay on wildlife in Cyprus would be complete without mentioning hunting, which is probably the most important destructor on the island. Very few, if any, countries in the world has such a high per capita population of hunters in the world. Quite apart from the attitude that "if it moves, shoot it, whether it can be eaten or not" , that seems prevalent amongst a proportion of the shooters, there are other factors that must be taken into account.

[insan]

Alarming Autumn Trapping Figures
Thursday, 08 January 2009 11:41 Eleni Zissimou News - Newsflash
CYPRIOT TRAPPERS killed an estimated 776,000 birds this autumn to supply local restaurants with banned ambelopoulia delicacies, a lucrative trade authorities consistently fail to halt, charges local conservation group BirdLife Cyprus.

BirdLife Cyprus said the latest findings from its under-cover monitoring of the illegal cull showed a worrying upturn in trapping with mist nets and limesticks. “Autumn 2008 saw the highest level of mist netting we have detected in the field for five years and use of limesticks also seems to be on the rise,” said a spokesman for the organisation. “We are loosing ground and the missing enforcement link is concerted action against the restaurants flouting the ban on ambelopoulia.”

Though increased enforcement against trappers in the field has reduced the activity by about 80 per cent compared to the 1990s – when around 10 million birds were taken every year, restaurants still fuel a demand for ambelopoulia and over a million birds a year are estimated to still fall foul to the trappers, who are also active during winter and spring.

In a coordinated early December sting, officers from the Cyprus Game Fund and Police raided eight restaurants in the Larnaca district, confiscating 883 blackcaps and song thrushes from freezers and charging four proprietors with wildlife offenses. “This was a welcome action, but only scraped the surface,” said BirdLife Cyprus.

http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/index.php ... sh&lang=en

[insan]

http://www.natureofcyprus.org/default.aspx?ln=tr

A promising website in 3 langages.

[Oracle]

Bring back the Cypriot Pygmy Hippo .....

Extinct pygmy hippopotamus and early man in Cyprus

Alan H. Simmons

Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, FOB 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506, USA

Little evidence exists for human occupation of the Mediterranean Islands before 9,000 yr before present (BP)1, and extinct Pleistocene fauna rarely have been associated with archaeological materials from the region. Intriguing claims, however, have been presented for the early occupation of Mallorca2 and Sardinia3. Although it has been suggested that Cyprus may have been inhabited as early as the Palaeolithic, this has not been substantiated and the consensus of opinion is that the initial inhabitation was by Neolithic peoples 9,000 yr ago4,5. But new evidence from Akrotiri Aetokremnos ('Eagle's Cliff or 'Site E') suggests an earlier occupation. This site also contains evidence for the association of cultural remains with extinct pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minutus 6). Although beds containing bones of the pygmy hippopotamus are known from Cyprus7,8, this species is generally believed to have gone extinct before man's presence on the island9. From my analysis, I tentatively conclude that Site E is the earliest archaeological site in Cyprus and that the Island was occupied by approximately 10,000 yr BP. Finally I suggest that the extinction of the pygmy hippopotamus on Cyprus may have been accelerated by the presence of man on the island.
Nature 333, 554 - 557 (09 June 1988)

[purdey]

While I see hunters make a large dent in the bird population in Cyprus, over build and loss of natural habitat is the main problem on the island. I wonder what damage the new highway from Paphos to Polis will do to wildlife ?

[insan]

Bring back the Cypriot Pygmy Hippo .....

Extinct pygmy hippopotamus and early man in Cyprus

Alan H. Simmons

Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, FOB 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506, USA

Little evidence exists for human occupation of the Mediterranean Islands before 9,000 yr before present (BP)1, and extinct Pleistocene fauna rarely have been associated with archaeological materials from the region. Intriguing claims, however, have been presented for the early occupation of Mallorca2 and Sardinia3. Although it has been suggested that Cyprus may have been inhabited as early as the Palaeolithic, this has not been substantiated and the consensus of opinion is that the initial inhabitation was by Neolithic peoples 9,000 yr ago4,5. But new evidence from Akrotiri Aetokremnos ('Eagle's Cliff or 'Site E') suggests an earlier occupation. This site also contains evidence for the association of cultural remains with extinct pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minutus 6). Although beds containing bones of the pygmy hippopotamus are known from Cyprus7,8, this species is generally believed to have gone extinct before man's presence on the island9. From my analysis, I tentatively conclude that Site E is the earliest archaeological site in Cyprus and that the Island was occupied by approximately 10,000 yr BP. Finally I suggest that the extinction of the pygmy hippopotamus on Cyprus may have been accelerated by the presence of man on the island.
Nature 333, 554 - 557 (09 June 1988)

Environmental equality for Pigmy hippos plx.

Since they still exist on other regions of the world, we can bring them back by buying a few couples of pigmy hippos, eh?

http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/h ... pygmy.html

[insan]

Bring back the Cypriot Pygmy Hippo .....

Extinct pygmy hippopotamus and early man in Cyprus

Alan H. Simmons

Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, FOB 60220, Reno, Nevada 89506, USA

Little evidence exists for human occupation of the Mediterranean Islands before 9,000 yr before present (BP)1, and extinct Pleistocene fauna rarely have been associated with archaeological materials from the region. Intriguing claims, however, have been presented for the early occupation of Mallorca2 and Sardinia3. Although it has been suggested that Cyprus may have been inhabited as early as the Palaeolithic, this has not been substantiated and the consensus of opinion is that the initial inhabitation was by Neolithic peoples 9,000 yr ago4,5. But new evidence from Akrotiri Aetokremnos ('Eagle's Cliff or 'Site E') suggests an earlier occupation. This site also contains evidence for the association of cultural remains with extinct pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minutus 6). Although beds containing bones of the pygmy hippopotamus are known from Cyprus7,8, this species is generally believed to have gone extinct before man's presence on the island9. From my analysis, I tentatively conclude that Site E is the earliest archaeological site in Cyprus and that the Island was occupied by approximately 10,000 yr BP. Finally I suggest that the extinction of the pygmy hippopotamus on Cyprus may have been accelerated by the presence of man on the island.
Nature 333, 554 - 557 (09 June 1988)

Environmental equality for Pigmy hippos plx.

Since they r still exists on other regions of the world, we can bring them back by buying a few couples of pigmy hippos, eh?

http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/h ... pygmy.html

They are so cuddlesome

Insan if you and I wanted to get rich ... we could clone the gene(s) for the production of that mucus which they secrete that is a natural sun-protective agent and sell it to all the Brits arriving on the Island.

Because it is a natural mammalian secretion, it is unlikely to have the nasty side-effects of chemical/artificial sun-creams! I estimate it would take me four months to isolate, then 2 years for clinical trials.

What do you say?

A joint Turko-Cyprio biotechnology venture?

It would be excellent, dear bt i don't knw mch abt biology How can i contribute into this venture






















So u r not a Helleno?

[Oracle]

Yes let us colonise the island with pygmy hippos ... much more cuddle-some than Anatolian Settlers

[Oracle]

Ooppps ... I deleted that last post in case we find funding ... Oh dear ... I always open my mouth too soon, and my ideas get filched!