Cyprus Times

Parliamentary Committee Calls for Stricter Animal Abuse Laws After Turtle Incident

Published January 21, 2026, 15:16
Parliamentary Committee Calls for Stricter Animal Abuse Laws After Turtle Incident

The House Environment Committee is calling for stricter legislation regarding animal abuse, following a serious incident of mistreatment of a dead turtle in the Chlorakas area. The proposal includes the introduction of a penalty, even imprisonment as in other countries, for those who mistreat dead animals. The discussion in the Committee highlighted gaps in the information and training of local authority staff regarding the management of dead animals, especially in protected areas, as well as a general legislative gap regarding behavior towards dead animals. The Animal Police, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Justice are being called upon to immediately activate prevention, investigation, and penalty enforcement mechanisms.