Snake nets are brutal death traps and the government on Wednesday launched a campaign against it starting from the wider coastal district of Famagusta, according to Philenews.
Farmers and landowners use damaged or worn nets which are laid out as fine webs along the property boundaries or attached to fences and walls, Ministry of Agriculture along with police officers have found.
However, not only the snakes get caught in them, but also other reptiles, hedgehogs and many ground dwelling birds.
The brutal trapping is carried out despite calls on people not to kill snakes – certain species of which are protected by the European Habitats Directive and national legislation making it an offense to catch and kill them.
Fines imposed in Cyprus can be as high as €17,000, three years in prison or both sentences together.
There are eight snake species in Cyprus with the venomous blunt-nosed viper (macrovipera lebetina) being the only one posing danger to humans.
Given that no snake will attack humans unless disturbed or provoked, people should not try capture or kill any of them.
People are advised to avoid going in areas with dense vegetation that prevents visibility or putting their hands in bushes or under rocks and tree barks without protective gloves.
