Emerald monitors return home
Emerald monitors return home
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After traveling 21,500 kilometers and accumulating nearly 10,000
frequent-flyer miles, 33 smuggled emerald monitor lizards
(Varanus prasinus), native to the rain forests of Papua, have
found their way back to Indonesia.
The journey of the green-skinned monitors, closely related to
the komodo (Varanus komodoensis), started and ended in Jakarta,
with a two-month transit in Croatia.
The emerald monitors were brought back from Croatia by an
international consortium of wildlife groups that organized and
financed the US$13,600 (Rp 12.5 million) repatriation operation.
"The repatriation is the best thing that could have happened,"
said Femke den Haas, who accompanied the 33 rescued monitors
during their 48-hour journey to Indonesia, which included a stay
at airline KLM's animal "hotel".
Femke, the manager for the Tegal Alur Wild Animal Center in
West Jakarta, said that the returning of the protected species
reflected a "strong stance" being taken against the illegal trade
of animals. It showed governments and international organizations
were working together to combat the problem, he said.
An official from the nature conservation division of the
Ministry of Forestry, Kurnia Rauf, said: "This is great news ...
it shows CITES works."
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES), was ratified by both Indonesia and Croatia.
On Nov. 28, airport officials in Zagreb, Croatia, discovered
50 emerald monitors, measuring between 30 to 50 centimeters,
jumbled together in a carry-on bag belonging to Dalvir Kumar, a
Croatian citizen returning from Jakarta.
The Croatian government, arrested Kumar and then notified the
Indonesian Ministry of Forestry about the incident, as required
by CITES.
The Ministry then delegated the task of repatriating the
monitors to the Indonesian Rescue Center Network, which joined
forces with Zagreb-based AWAP, Pro Animalia, Animals First and
the Gibbon Foundation. The network then sent Femke den Haas as
their envoy to Croatia.
Once there, Femke discovered that only 33 of the 43 remaining
monitors were declared fit to make the homeward journey. Seven of
the original 50 smuggled monitors, which can be sold for up to
US$ 1,960 each, had died shortly after arriving in Croatia.
The other 10 remain under the care of the Croatian government
and are to be returned to Indonesia at a later date.
The 33 monitors traveled in heated compartments fulfilling
international safety standards on animal travel. However, one
emerald monitor died shortly after arriving in Jakarta last
Thursday. The 32 survivors are under a 14-day monitoring period
at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Animal Quarantine center.
Femke expressed concern that the facilities at the airport
quarantine could spoil the group's two-month long effort.
"They have no facilities for the monitors," said Femke. "My
worst nightmare would be if they died there."
The head of the airport quarantine, Lukas Tonga, admitted that
the quarantine had initially not been prepared to handle the
monitors as no one had informed him of their impending arrival.
However, he guaranteed that all of the 32 monitors were being
well cared for.
"We appreciate the Rescue Network's efforts, but we are only
following procedures," Lukas said.
He said that last Thursday, the day the monitors arrived, the
quarantine had four tanks available for them and the next day the
Rescue Network brought over and donated four more tanks. He
explained that Sunday the quarantine added another seven tanks to
bring the total number of terrariums to 15.
Femke said that at the end of the 14-day quarantine period,
the monitors would be transferred to the Tegal Alur Wild Animal
Rescue Facility, where they would be rehabilitated and treated.
"We then hope to reintroduce them to the Papua rain forests as
soon as possible," said Femke.