diff --git a/app/Model/Event.php b/app/Model/Event.php
index 2077d26f8..9b54513c0 100755
--- a/app/Model/Event.php
+++ b/app/Model/Event.php
@@ -4753,30 +4753,6 @@ class Event extends AppModel
         return $xmlArray;
     }
 
-    public function removeOlder(array &$events, $scope = 'events')
-    {
-        $field = $scope === 'sightings' ? 'sighting_timestamp' : 'timestamp';
-        $localEvents = $this->find('all', [
-            'recursive' => -1,
-            'fields' => ['Event.uuid', 'Event.' . $field, 'Event.locked'],
-        ]);
-        $localEvents = array_column(array_column($localEvents, 'Event'), null, 'uuid');
-        foreach ($events as $k => $event) {
-            // remove all events for the sighting sync if the remote is not aware of the new field yet
-            if (!isset($event[$field])) {
-                unset($events[$k]);
-            } else {
-                $uuid = $event['uuid'];
-                if (isset($localEvents[$uuid])
-                      && ($localEvents[$uuid][$field] >= $event[$field]
-                      || ($scope === 'events' && !$localEvents[$uuid]['locked'])))
-                {
-                    unset($events[$k]);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
     public function sharingGroupRequired($field)
     {
         if ($this->data[$this->alias]['distribution'] == 4) {
diff --git a/app/Model/Server.php b/app/Model/Server.php
index 1b8d224cf..f92a74b6a 100644
--- a/app/Model/Server.php
+++ b/app/Model/Server.php
@@ -780,13 +780,35 @@ class Server extends AppModel
         return $eventIndex;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @param array $events
+     * @return void
+     */
+    private function removeOlderEvents(array &$events)
+    {
+        $conditions = (count($events) > 10000) ? [] : ['Event.uuid' => array_column($events, 'uuid')];
+        $this->Event = ClassRegistry::init('Event');
+        $localEvents = $this->Event->find('all', [
+            'recursive' => -1,
+            'conditions' => $conditions,
+            'fields' => ['Event.uuid', 'Event.timestamp', 'Event.locked'],
+        ]);
+        $localEvents = array_column(array_column($localEvents, 'Event'), null, 'uuid');
+        foreach ($events as $k => $event) {
+            $uuid = $event['uuid'];
+            if (isset($localEvents[$uuid]) && ($localEvents[$uuid]['timestamp'] >= $event['timestamp'] || !$localEvents[$uuid]['locked'])) {
+                unset($events[$k]);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get an array of event UUIDs that are present on the remote server.
      *
      * @param ServerSyncTool $serverSync
      * @param bool $all
-     * @param bool $ignoreFilterRules
-     * @param bool $force
+     * @param bool $ignoreFilterRules Ignore defined server pull rules
+     * @param bool $force If true, returns all events regardless their update timestamp
      * @return array Array of event UUIDs.
      * @throws HttpSocketHttpException
      * @throws HttpSocketJsonException
@@ -816,8 +838,7 @@ class Server extends AppModel
             }
         }
         if (!$force) {
-            $this->Event = ClassRegistry::init('Event');
-            $this->Event->removeOlder($eventArray);
+            $this->removeOlderEvents($eventArray);
         }
         return array_column($eventArray, 'uuid');
     }
@@ -1045,7 +1066,7 @@ class Server extends AppModel
 
         if ($push['canPush'] || $push['canSight']) {
             $this->Sighting = ClassRegistry::init('Sighting');
-            $sightingSuccesses =$this->Sighting->pushSightings($user, $serverSync);
+            $sightingSuccesses = $this->Sighting->pushSightings($user, $serverSync);
         } else {
             $sightingSuccesses = array();
         }