“Today, the police registered the case before the Famagusta District Court," said Famagusta police spokesman Andreas Konstantinou.

The accused include a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, a 55-year-old Cypriot woman who owns the farm where the kangaroo was found, 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.

The a 36-year-old man from Cameroon who was arrested at the scene with chopped kangaroo parts beside him, remains in custody, while the other two have been released on bail.

The 36-year-old is also facing prosecution for illegally residing in Cyprus after his asylum application was rejected in 2022, Konstantinou said.

Police are continuing their investigation in an effort to locate two more suspects: one who was reportedly present at the scene with the 36-year-old but fled before police could intervene, and another allegedly involved in transporting the animal to the parking lot where it was slaughtered.

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.

The suspect claimed he had received the animal from Paralimni. The investigation is ongoing.