Exotic animals likely smuggled using cargo service: Officer
Exotic animals likely smuggled using cargo service: Officer
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
A Czech man arrested at Prague's international airport with 115
exotic animals in his luggage from Indonesia, used the airport
cargo service to transport the animals, the airport operator
said.
"The man had to have used the cargo service because it would
be impossible for him to carry the animals through the passenger
terminal," Soekarno-Hatta International Airport operator PT
Angkasa Pura spokesman Syahrial Syam told The Jakarta Post on
Friday.
AFP reported the 43-year-old man, who returned from holidays
in Indonesia on Wednesday, carried in his suitcases 22 water
lizards, 19 small pythons and 74 tortoises. He left the country
from Soekarno-Hatta.
The man faces charges for violating laws under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES).
"Customs and excise officers are responsible for monitoring
passengers' baggage in the cargo warehouse. They must have
thorough control of all baggage taken through to the ground-
handling services," Syahrial said.
He said the officers were usually assisted by officers from
the animal quarantine center and the Ministry of Forestry at the
cargo warehouse.
"Officers in the cargo areas don't have any devices to detect
animals. Besides, cargo officers are rarely present so animal
smuggling is prone to happen," he added.
PT Angkasa Pura had proposed customs and excise provide
officers with devices to monitor passengers' baggage in the cargo
areas but it had not, he said.
Edi Prasetyono, a veterinarian at the airport's animal
quarantine center, said officers in the center did not have
access to check baggage in the cargo areas.
He suggested forestry officers be placed in every entrance at
airport terminals and should coordinate with customs to curb
possible animal smuggling.
"This (procedure) has been clearly stipulated in the law No.
10/95 on animal conservation," Edi said, adding that quarantine
officers usually liaised with customs to put any smuggled animals
they found into quarantine.
Airport customs officers were not available for comment.