h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had to be up early today, as I do every Sunday, in order to earn a few Shekels. Normally I'd set an alarm for 6am but since last week this has not been necessary.

30/10/2011 @ 5.15am marked the start of the hunting season. Hunting is big here - which is more than can be said of the prey.

Just to illustrate how big hunting is, I've researched a few facts and figures. Private gun-ownership in Cyprus is estimated at 275,000. That doesn't seem so bad until you realise that almost 37% of the population has ready access to a gun and could potentially shoot you if you upset them in some way. It's also a little scary to realise that of the 275,000 weapons less than 105,000 are actually legally registered. Out of 179 countries (where data was available and verified), Cyprus ranked 6th for the rate of gun ownership. That's quite staggering.

However, if you are planning a holiday here, it's unlikely you'll need to pack your bullet-proof vest and tin-hat before boarding your flight. According to the latest figures, gun-deaths in 2008 were 13. Of that, 4 were suicide and 2 were 'unintentional'. Just 7 people were shot deliberately, murdered if you like.

So, why such high gun-ownership and why am I woken earlier than expected on a Sunday morning? If you've been paying attention, you should already know the answer - the hunt.

Hunting, in theory, is well regulated in Cyprus. It is only permitted on Wednesdays and Sundays between dawn and dusk in approved areas and with a set of rules that include minimum distances from dwellings and the requirement to wear high visibility jackets. If you were a cat called Squirrel residing chez-DDD, you'd wake on a Sunday and think to yourself, "Ah, yes. There's a man with an orange hi-vis, it's Sunday, he's 750 metres from the house and we are in a no-hunting zone. All's well, what a wonderful day".

The reality is somewhat different.

Presumably, the 170,000 unregistered guns belong to 170,000 unregistered owners. They must be the ones who are outside my window at 5.15am on a Sunday morning unleashing volley-after-volley of lead shot into thin air. They never actually seem to hit anything apart from these:

http://www.dataskip.co.uk/h2g2/U1263973/NH.jpg

Probably best to wait till they're out of ammo before asking them to stop shooting so early then?

What are they hunting?

Anything that moves - or in the example I linked to above - lots of things that don't.

It's a macho thing. It's a chance for the head of the household to demonstrate his prowess.

Historically, the hunters would only shoot to provide food on the table. Sadly, as the country has become more developed and some citizens have gained huge wealth, hunting has become more of a pastime rather than a necessity.