Endemic Flores Birds Smuggled to Be Sold in Surabaya for Rp 550,000 Each

A special team from the Naval Base (Lanal) Labuan Bajo, in collaboration with the West Manggarai Police Resort and the Labuan Bajo Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), foiled the smuggling of 1,088 songbirds at the Pelindo Multipurpose Class III Port in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Friday (8/5/2026). The birds were concealed in cardboard boxes and cages, transported by truck on a sea vessel heading to Surabaya. These endemic Flores birds were intended for sale in Surabaya at prices up to Rp 550,000 per bird. The head of the NTT Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BBKSDA) NTT, Adhi Nurul Hadi, revealed that the suspected smuggler was identified by the initials MS. The birds were either caught by the suspect himself or purchased from locals in Maumere, Sikka Regency, NTT. “Based on the suspect’s confession, the birds were obtained from his own catches and some were bought from local communities in the Maumere area,” Adhi stated on Sunday (10/5/2026). There were three types of birds being smuggled: 1,000 pleci or sea spectacles (Zosterops chloris), 34 Flores whistlers (Pachycephala nudigula), and 54 pied bush chats (Saxicola caprata). Adhi explained the purchase prices: Rp 3,000-Rp 5,000 per pleci, Rp 20,000-Rp 25,000 per pied bush chat, and Rp 200,000-Rp 300,000 per Flores whistler. “According to the suspect, the birds were to be resold at bird markets in the Surabaya area for Rp 12,000 for the sea spectacles, Rp 50,000 for the pied bush chats, and around Rp 550,000 for the Flores whistlers,” Adhi disclosed. Although none of the three bird species are protected wildlife, the thousands of birds were still confiscated because their transport lacked official documentation, namely the Domestic Wild Plants and Animals Transport Permit (SATS-DN) and health certificates as required by regulations. Previously, the BBKSDA NTT released thousands of the birds into the Nggorang Bowosie Protected Forest in Komodo Subdistrict, Labuan Bajo, on Saturday (10/5/2026). “This release aims to save all the secured individuals, increase populations in the wild, and provide education to enhance public awareness,” Adhi said on Saturday evening. The release process involved several agencies, including Lanal Labuan Bajo, the Wae Kelambu Multipurpose Port Security Unit (KPPP), West Manggarai Police Resort, Class II Labuan Bajo Harbour Master and Port Authority Office (KSOP), and the NTT Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Agency.