Endangered animals under threat

JAKARTA: Endangered animals in Indonesia are still under serious threat due to increasing illegal hunting across the country, an environmental activist says.

Hardi Baktiantoro, the coordinator of the Pro-Fauna environment watchdog, said on Wednesday the animals were in danger following the findings on illegal animal trade last year.

He said his team had conducted an investigation into animal trade in Lampung, Bangkulu, Medan, Padang (Sumatra), West Kalimantan, Papua, North Maluku, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Yogyakarta, Semarang and Bandung.

The probe confirmed that thousands of protected animals were traded every week via Lampung's Bakauheni seaport to Merak in Banten.

The animals included the primate family of Hylobate Syndactilus, Hylobate Sp, and Nycicebus Coucan. They were sold at the Pramuka bird market in Jakarta, but many of them were brought to cities in East Java and Central Java. -- Antara