Environment and Forestry Minister affirms severe penalties for Sumatran elephant poachers

Jakarta – Minister of Environment and Forestry (Menhut) Raja Juli Antoni emphasised that there are stringent penalties for Sumatra elephant poachers found headless in Riau. “I urge and also hope that this brutal and criminal act will be the last to occur in Riau. If we read in the law, the penalties are not light,” said Menhut Raja Juli Antoni in a briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday. He affirmed that the state is committed to protecting protected wildlife from organised crime. Minister Raja Juli Antoni also lamented that such brutal and illegal practices continue to occur, given that the Sumatra elephant is a highly protected species and a focus of government attention. “We deeply regret this brutal and illegal practice,” he said. The suspects play different roles, from intermediaries in the ivory trade, financiers, to receivers. “Alhamdulillah, in this good month, with close cooperation and extraordinary synergy between the police, forest police, and the conservation agency, 15 suspects have been named,” Raja Antoni said.