Αssociated Press reports from Larnaca that conservationists in Cyprus are urging authorities to expand a hunting ban throughout a coastal salt lake network amid concerns that migrating flamingos could potentially swallow lethal quantities of lead shotgun pellets.
Martin Hellicar, director of Birdlife Cyprus, noted flamingos are at risk of ingesting the tiny pellets lying on the lakebed as they feed. Like other birds, flamingos swallow small pebbles to aid digestion but can’t distinguish between pebbles and the lead pellets.
“Last year, we had tens of losses of flamingos,” Hellicar pointed out.
Cyprus is a key stop on the migration path for many types of birds flying from Africa to Europe. The Larnaca Salt Lake, a wetlands network of four lakes, typically welcomes as many as 15,000 flamingos from colder climates to the southern coast of the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean. They stay through the winter and leave in March. Other waterfowl frequenting the lake include ducks, waders, and seagulls.
Hunting is forbidden around most of the salt lake, but hunters are still allowed to shoot ducks in the network’s southern tip.
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