Failed war on trade in endangered species
Bambang Parlupi, Contributor, Jakarta
A bird vendor Ipung boasted to his buyers that he could provide rare animals for them.
The East Javanese trader at Pondok Gede market in Bekasi offered a royal cockatoo at Rp 1,250,000, a black-headed parrot at Rp 500,000 and a yellow-crested cockatoo at Rp 750,000. He quoted a snake by its length. A python is sold at Rp 135,000 per meter.
"I don't dare display these animals here, but if anybody is interested in any of them, I'll find it after a down payment of at least 10 percent," said Ipung, now in his forties.
It turned out that the vendor who sells various singing birds and cages in his kiosk has a side business -- illegal trade in rare animals. The man even claimed he could provide the order within two to three days.
"If necessary, we can deliver 'the goods' (the requested rare animals) right to the buyer's house," said the man who would ask for the telephone number and address of his prospective customers.
Illegal trade in rare animals is conducted clandestinely and even in the open, at bird markets, roadside kiosks, pet shops and even by sidewalk vendors.
An investigation by PANTAU, a network for the monitoring of wildlife trading in Indonesia, between October 2001 and March 2002 shows that Java is the center of protected animal trade
"The present trend shows the biggest number of people keeping protected wildlife come from Java," said PANTAU coordinator, Hartoyo Atmojo.
As a result, surrounding areas and those outside Java become suppliers.
Last April and May, for instance, PANTAU members found a number of protected animals like orangutans and proboscis monkeys in a port in Semarang. They were taken by a wooden ship from South and Central Kalimantan to be sold in Java. "Bent-beaked birds (cockatoos and parrots), turtles and tarsiers usually come from Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua by ship. These will later be supplied to bird markets in Semarang, Surabaya and Jakarta," Hartoyo said.
The group also discovered that Bakaheuni and Merak ports were the main gateways for the entry of protected wildlife from Medan, Padang and Lampung to be sold on the black market. Smuggled animals include various species of primates like black or gray long-tailed monkeys, gibbons as well as various species of singing birds. Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya and in Tanjung Mas port in Semarang are also major gateways to transport rare animals coming from the eastern part of Indonesia.
The monitoring operation conducted by 17 institutions under PANTAU encountered 263 protected animals being traded in 14 major cities across Indonesia.
Investigation into 24 species of traded animals in Medan, Padang, Lampung, Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Denpasar revealed the fact that primates rank first.
In terms of quantity, slow loris (Nyeticebus sp) constituted the biggest number sold (95), followed by gray or black long- tailed monkeys (Trachypithecus spp., 47 animals), pythons (Python reticulatus, 35), snake eagle (Spilornis cheela, 20) and surprisingly, tarsiers (Tarsius spp, 3).
"Many of these animals are kept by young people," said Hartoyo recently who revealed the results of the investigation at Hotel Mandarin here.
Animal trading flourishes due to the trend of keeping rare animal as pets. The rarer an animal, the more attractive it is to keep, thus, increasing the sale value of the animal.
Many people, unfortunately, are still not aware about rare animals and the laws protecting them. In fact, rare animals are protected under Law No. 5/1990 on conservation of biological diversity and its ecosystem. Article 21 of the law clearly stipulates that it is prohibited to capture, kill, keep, raise, transport and trade protected animals. Violators of the law face a penalty of five years in prison or a Rp 100 million fine.
PANTAU recommended the government take firm, concrete legal measures against those who trade and raise protected animals. The public was also encouraged to play an active role, by not keeping, buying, or let alone selling rare animals.