Who Killed Cock Robin?

When we first came to Corfu, we came as tired business tourists needing a break. We came in the winter time, and in the Spring and then in the Fall. Eventually we came to Corfu whenever we could grab a weekend and could fly from Athens to spend a little time here, but again it was always "off season". We stayed in Corfu town, and wandered the silent little winding streets and took in the beautiful and serene views to find peace and contentment.

First we landed at the Cavalieri Hotel and stayed several times.

Then we stayed at a guesthouse run by the charming (and now sadly gone) "old world" gentleman, Christopher Lavranos in his old mansion downtown.

Finally we stayed at the Levant Hotel in Pelekas, when we had time enough to rent a car and drive around on our own. We were almost always one of very very few tourists in the mid nineties.

When we finally moved here on the first of September, were were stunned by two things: first that the temperatures were SO hot! and second: that so many people came here to holiday!

We had never been here in the summertime, or even in the slightly less busy September or May.

Ironically we were delighted we had decided not to buy a house on the coast or on the seaside as in the summertime it's crazy busy and there is no privacy or peace and quiet! Instead we found an out of the way little valley 10 minutes (well if there's no traffic and you drive a teensy bit over the speed limit) from either side of the island and five minutes from the only golf course. [At the time we bought the house it was only one of two golf courses in Greece!]

The land the house was built on was a lovely place covered with a carpet of wild cyclamen, almost two acres with beautiful views of hills of cypress and olive on the one side and the mountains of Greece and Albania on the other. As a bonus from one corner of the terrace and front yard, we had a view of the sea in the distance. Perfect! Or so we thought.

At no time were we aware of Corfu's dark secret: Hunters!

Hunters, who rise in the dark and head to the pristine wilderness (and small out of the way valleys!) of Corfu, who blast away at anything that flies or hops. They take their coffee's and other supplementary beverages, refreshments and extra boxes of shells, and head off to play fearless hunter against the wild beasties of the island. Hunters make a MESS.

Of course you can make the point that it's their country and they can do as they please, only they usually do it on another Greek's land, and that Greek is generally not amused when he has to clean up the mess to gather his olives!


[and yes, those ARE feathers...]


We are not amused when a gun blast goes off on the other side of our hedge and lead shot rains down on our heads (or that of our terrified dog!) or sprinkles into our swimming pool (we've discovered that lead shot left in the bottom of the pool, stains the tiles)!

Then there's the secondary problem of the hunters dogs. Often the dogs are kept on a meter long chain for the better part of a year. When hunting season arrives the hunter brings his dog/dogs out for the sport. He looses the dogs and shoots the guns and the dogs disappear into the bush terrified of the sound of the gun and then delighted to be off the leash and into freedom!

Ah you may say "Good for them! At least they've escaped!" but you would be wrong, as now the dogs are alone and without food or water. They spend the night afraid and wandering too near other houses trying to perhaps beg for scraps or maybe even a new home, and instead set the piles of dogs in the neighborhood off in cascades of barking that last the night through. There is worse of course as the dogs become feral, if they DO survive and prey on sheep and other small animals. Usually they die of starvation though. [As side note: besides lost hunter dogs, every year we have at least 6 puppies either alone or in clumps of 2 or three, dumped over our garden wall- for us to "dispose of". Greece is generally, not a kind place for animals. This link is for the Ark, a small and often overwhelmed animal aid program on Corfu ]

If you can't sleep through barking dogs, then you might be fairly grumpy when you are awakened after just drifting off to sleep by the sound of more guns!! Hunters like to get a jump on the day so the guns usually go off at 6 AM and generally the local countryside is treated to a major barrage of gunfire until at least 7:30 AM. Then, some of them anyway, must go to work and there is only the odd blast of gunfire until evening. Every day, starting on October 1. (well OK, sometimes before...) and usually running until Easter. This pretty much brackets the tourist season here. It does seem however that ALL year is hunting season, as a gun seems to go off somewhere every month! I'm sure there is a tighter season, but with enforcement issues on the back burner here, I'm guessing that hunting is pretty much any time you want.

I am also certain there are laws regarding the closeness of hunting to domestic dwellings - but I haven't noticed anyone paying ANY attention to those rules, unless there is a conservation officer called who parks his car near a house, or checks on the hunting licenses randomly. Those weeks are filled with blessed silence in the early morning, as word seems to spread and no one seemingly wants to hunt near our house on the days official vehicles are visible.

In the beginning we were the only house out here, with a two kilometer "house-free" ring, around us. Now there are at least thirty houses around us in that two kilometer ring. We have noticed no slacking off of hunters, tho I will admit that though I hear the lead shot in fall in the yucca trees on occasion, I no longer feel it on my head. (This could be because I am not outside!)

We have noticed that there are more abandoned dogs in the neighborhood and there are fewer songbirds though... Also that I am grumpy from lack of sleep.