In the regions of Ano Korydallos and Mount Egaleo they spread their nets. wildlife smugglerswith the intent to catch wild songbirds and sell them in illegal networks and underground markets. This time, the work of the Ecological Association of the Municipalities of Athens – Piraeus (PESYDAP) and the Egaleo Forestry Department, which managed to untie the trap nets and free the captured birds, was ruined.

“These are very stable schemes. Since the capture of wild animals and trade in them is prohibited, vigilantes operate undercover. Sometimes we noticed buying and selling at the big Sunday market in Sistos.” – says Grigoris Gurdomichalis “K”., president of the Association for the Protection of the Environment. As he describes, even in Schistos transactions are done in secret. “Some of the ring are waiting on the road, and the birds are in cages in trees at a distance of 50 or even 100 meters – they are not visible. The interested person, apparently informed either by word of mouth or otherwise, goes to a person on the street, after which a transaction is made, ”he explains. According to the PESYDAP image, illegally caught wild birds are not displayed in regular stores, but are passed from hand to hand. Unless deals are made in the “backyard,” “although the right professionals wouldn’t take those steps,” notes Mr. Gurdomichalis. As for purchase prices, always by reference experience, they range from 20-30 euros per head for the more common species, up to 200 euros for nightingales or other birds that are a special desire of some people.

V Schistos market The Department of Forestry, police and PESYDAP carried out several raids that resulted in the capture and release of hundreds of wild songbirds and the immediate destruction of their cages.

In previous days, people who wanted to catch and trade wild songbirds had spread thin nets in the areas of Ano Korydallos and Mount Egaleo. The nets, which the birds could barely detect, were spotted by the PESYDAP civil protection team. After that, echelons of the Association and the Egaleo Forest Department rushed to the area, untied and destroyed the nets, after releasing all the birds they had caught. Both the type of nets (almost “invisible” to the eyes of birds and humans) and the area covered by them show that these were “professional” efforts aimed at capturing birds caught in the illegal trade in wild bird species, Mr. Mr Gurdomichalis.

Hunters are mainly aimed at capturing such species as goldfinches, fanet, grebes, crossbills, mountain sparrows, plovers, etc. Their efforts are especially concentrated in spring, when birds mate and are more mobile and careless to danger. “The illegal capture of wild songbirds for the purpose of their commercial exploitation has been a big blow to Greek nature for several decades,” the association, which exists thanks to the existence of an illegal market, said in a statement. That is why it is necessary to prosecute not only bird hunters, but also traders involved in their trade.

“Experience so far has shown that a comprehensive effort to curb the illegal trade in wild birds must also include, in parallel, informing the public that buys them, thus shaping the conditions for their demand,” comments Mr. Gourdomichalis. In the next period, the civil protection team and fire patrols on Mount Egaleo will pay more attention to nets and ropes, the link emphasizes.