White cockatoo population dwindling<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
The population of White Cockatoo (Cacatua alba) in North Maluku
\nis dwindling due to uncontrolled poaching. More than 500 of them
\nare traded in Jakarta and other places annually, say an
\nenvironmental group.<\/p>\n
Chairman of Pro Fauna Indonesia Rosek Nursahid, in a press
\nrelease made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday said the
\norganization had arrived at the figure after conducting research
\non the bird species in North Maluku over the past four years.<\/p>\n
Rosek said that the Directorate General of Forest and Nature
\nPreservation of the Ministry of Forestry had issued a zero quota
\non the capture of the species in the province in 2001.<\/p>\n
However, in the same year after the quota was issued, there
\nwere at least 138 White Cockatoos shipped to Ternate, the
\nprovince's capital, to be sold.<\/p>\n
Nearly 96 percent of the them arrived through Bastiong port
\nand the remainder through Kota Baru and Dufa-Dufa ports. An
\naverage of 552 cockatoos are caught and traded illegally every
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Most of the cockatoos are poached on Halmahera island,
\nespecially in the Oba, Weda, Payahe areas, as well as on other
\nislands including Bacan, Mandioli and Obi.<\/p>\n
The poaching was authorized by the local government
\nconservation agency, by issuing poachers with permits despite the
\nzero quota on the capture of the cockatoo by the forestry
\nministry during that time, said Rosek.<\/p>\n
The birds were reportedly sold to brokers in Ternate for Rp
\n60,000 (US$6.6) each.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/white-cockatoo-population-dwindling-1447893297",
"image": ""
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