Only 187,425 dogs are officially registered in the Veterinary Services registry, according to data presented by Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou in response to a question from AKEL MP Marina Nikolaou. The figure appears remarkably low considering the Cyprus Animal Protection Society estimates that 250,000 dogs are abandoned on the island every year.
Additionally, the electronic platform of the Game and Fauna Service lists 50,246 dogs. Of these, 40,658 hold the required licences, 1,409 have been reported lost, 215 as stolen, and 7,964 have been recorded as deceased.
Regarding hunters, more than 700 individuals were prosecuted in 2023 and 2024 for violations of legislation concerning hunting dogs. It is estimated that at least six times as many hunters were inspected to generate those prosecutions.
To tighten oversight, the Ministry of Interior is promoting legislative changes that will make microchipping hunting dogs mandatory regardless of age. Furthermore, failing to report the loss or death of a hunting dog will become a criminal offence, as will allowing hunting dogs to roam unsupervised.
As part of these measures, the Game Service’s electronic records will be linked to the Veterinary Services database, enabling faster identification of owners of dogs found stray or dead.
