Three Charged in Deryneia Kangaroo Slaughter Case

Famagusta District Court has scheduled a hearing for May 23, when the defendants will enter pleas to charges under Cyprus’ Animal Protection and Welfare Law.

The accused include a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, a 55-year-old Cypriot woman who owns the farm where the kangaroo originated, and a 54-year-old Romanian man who worked as an animal caretaker at the facility.

The 36-year-old defendant, who also faces charges of illegal residency after authorities discovered he had been living in Cyprus without documentation since 2022, remains in custody. The other two defendants were released on bail.

Autopsy results confirmed the animal died from slaughter, police said, contradicting initial claims by the 36-year-old that the animal had died after fighting with another kangaroo.

According to police investigations, the kangaroo was delivered alive to the men and subsequently killed for its meat.

The case came to light on May 6 when police received reports of two men butchering an animal in the parking area of an apartment building. Officers arriving at the scene discovered plastic bags containing kangaroo parts, an axe and five knives.

Authorities are still searching for a second man who fled the scene and the driver of a pickup truck who allegedly helped transport the animal from the farm in Paralimni.

Source: In-Cyprus