Cruel! Long-Tailed Baby Monkey Found in Suitcase at Juanda Airport
The Centre for Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine (BKHIT) of East Java has foiled an attempt to smuggle a long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) through Juanda International Airport. The animal was found hidden inside a cardboard food box placed within a suitcase of clothes.
The operation was carried out by airport security officers at Terminal 1 of Juanda Airport together with East Java Quarantine officials on Sunday (13 September 2026). The animal was destined for Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, via Makassar.
Acting Head of BKHIT East Java, Hudiansyah Is Nursal, said the discovery began when officers conducted an X-ray inspection of passengers’ baggage at 11.33 local time. Officers detected an indication of a live animal inside one of the suitcases.
“Airport security officers found an indication of a live animal through an X-ray examination of one of the passengers’ suitcases,” Hudiansyah said in a statement quoted by detikJatim on Tuesday (15 September 2026).
The airline then made an announcement calling on the passenger concerned to come forward. However, by the boarding process at around 12.00 local time, the owner of the suitcase had not appeared to report or hand over the animal.
Following a joint inspection, officers found a long-tailed baby macaque inside a small cardboard box. The box was wrapped in black plastic and hidden among clothes in the suitcase.
“The box even bore a label from a used fast-food packaging, so the presence of the animal was deliberately disguised,” he explained.
In addition to the baby macaque case, BKHIT East Java also took enforcement action on another case involving animal transport on 14 September 2026. In both cases, officers secured a number of animals that were not accompanied by quarantine documents and had not been reported to quarantine officials.
BKHIT East Java plans to transfer the seized animals to the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BKSDA). The animals to be handed over include a long-tailed macaque, three black-winged starlings, one spotted dove, and two squirrels.
“We plan to transfer the confiscated animals — one long-tailed macaque, three black-winged starlings, one spotted dove, and two squirrels — to BKSDA East Java for further handling in accordance with their authority and the applicable laws and regulations in the field of conservation,” he said.