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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Cyprus jobless turn to illegal songbird trapping

In this Nov. 3, 2012 photo, a bird is entangled in a net used by poachers to trap migrating songbirds in the early morning in the Larnaca district of Cyprus. Small birds, called ambelopoulia in Greek, are considered a delicacy in Cyprus and poachers supply a lucrative market. Amid an economic crisis that has seen unemployment hit record levels on the east Mediterranean island, jobless people are turning to poaching to help them make ends meet. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — It's just before first light and the bird-catcher strings nets among the orange, pomegranate, fig and carob trees in his orchard. The sound of chirping emanates from inside a massive carob — a trick sent from speakers to attract tiny songbirds. By mid-morning, the man disentangles about a half-dozen blackcaps, snaps their necks with his teeth and drops them in a bucket.



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