Conservationists in Cyprus are urging authorities to expand a hunting ban throughout a coastal salt lake network amid concerns that migrating flamingos could potentially swallow lethal quantities of lead shotgun pellets.
Martin Hellicar, director of Birdlife Cyprus, said flamingos are at risk of ingesting the tiny pellets lying on the lakebed as they feed.
Like other birds, flamingos swallow small pebbles to aid digestion but cannot distinguish between pebbles and the lead pellets.
“Last year, we had tens of losses of flamingos,” Mr Hellicar said.
A flamingo stands in the Larnaca Salt Lake in Cyprus, with the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque in the background (Petros Karadjias/AP)