Athlete plans 24-hour swim in protest against "brutal" donkey killings
Athlete plans 24-hour swim in protest against "brutal" donkey killings
Turkish Cypriot athlete Kemal Elektrikci announced on Wednesday that he would complete a 24-hour swimming competition to "show that we stand against the bastards who committed the donkey massacre in Karpasia earlier this week ."
Elektrikci said he would take on the challenge alongside fellow athlete Bekir Yemen at the Atatürk indoor swimming pool in northern Nicosia.
Swimming begins on March 8th at 6:00 am.
“These innocent animals, which are the symbol of Cyprus, were shot as a result of a brutal act of violence,” it said.
“These innocent animals, which are the symbol of Cyprus, were shot as a result of a brutal act of violence,” it said.
It was pointed out that one of the donkeys killed was pregnant and giving birth at the time and it was stated that this incident in particular had ‘broken our hearts’.
The Turkish Cypriot police have launched an investigation into this case.
Turkish Cypriot politician Ersin Tatar also commented on the matter. He described the incident as "disgusting" and said it had "broken his heart deeply" .
"Just as in cases of violence against women or children, it is our humanitarian duty to see violence against animals in the context of violence of the strong against the weak and to raise our voices against it. The fact that the vast majority of our people have taken a stand against this cruel incident has eased our pain," he said.
He added that Turkish Cypriots are "a people who love animals and people" and that "the safety of our animal friends and their existence in a healthy environment should be our compass."
"I have full confidence that the perpetrators of this outrageous incident will be promptly identified by our police and brought to justice," he said.
The incident occurred a month after a donkey was left in “critical condition ” after being shot multiple times by a hunter.
The director of the Tashkent Nature Park, Kemal Basat, called those who kill donkeys “natural terrorists” at the time and added: “The biggest enemy of hunting is its inability to get rid of the black sheep.”
"These human-looking killers roam through nature with hunting rifles with government permission. The fact that a psychopathic killer has a hunting license paves the way for such incidents," he added.
Source: CyprusMail,com
Author: Tom Cleaver
