Harsh penalties may stop animal smugglers

Harsh penalties may stop animal smugglers

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country needs to impose harsh punishments to stop the rampant
trade and smuggling of protected animal species, a non-
governmental organization says.

Coordinator of ProFauna Jakarta Hardi Baktiantoro said the
criminal sentences for traders and smugglers of endangered
animals were too light compared to the state losses accrued from
illegal sales.

"The sentences are unfair. Such lenient punishments won't
deter people from committing the crime," he said during a rally
on Wednesday.

ProFauna Jakarta activists protested the North Jakarta
District Court for jailing Budiarto Tjipto, alias Hansen, for
only five months and fined him Rp 3 million for attempting to
smuggle two orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) to Taiwan last year
through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"In Taiwan, one orangutan fetches US$25,000. Before the
arrest, Budiarto was alleged to have smuggled over 40 orangutans
since December 2002. Compare this to the fine and prison term he
got," said Hardi.

Under Law No. 5/1999 on conservation of biodiversity and
ecosystem, traders and owners of protected animals face up to
five years in jail and/or a Rp 100 million (US$11,200) fine.

Hardi suspected collusion between traders and law enforcers --
including those at airports -- existed behind the trafficking,
which continues unabated.

"If you go to Pramuka bird market, you can find and buy many
protected animals every day. The odd thing is that (police)
officers are around and the Natural Resources Conservation Center
is nearby. Still, the trading goes on. Even when the police
conduct raids, the operations are often leaked beforehand," he
said.

The Pramuka bird market, Central Jakarta, along with the
Barito bird market, South Jakarta, and the Bratang bird market in
Surabaya, East Java, is the main destination for rare and
protected animals.

The illegal trade and smuggling of protected animals is
widespread in Indonesia, with most animals destined for European
countries, Taiwan, China and Singapore. Dozens of orangutans and
tigers and hundreds of rare bird species are believed to be
smuggled every month from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua
to Jakarta, from where they are sent overseas.

Hardi added that only four wildlife trafficking cases had been
taken to court out of 30 joint operations conducted since 2002 by
the police and ProFauna.

ProFauna's concerns are shared by Chaerul Saleh from the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia, who said the government lacked
political will to eradicate the trafficking of protected animals.

"Huge exposure is needed, and the public must be educated on
the law and on why endangered animals should live in their own
habitats," Chaerul told The Jakarta Post.

He regretted the widespread misperception among the public,
who considered owning or collecting rare animals as a sign of
prestige.

"People must understand that possessing endangered species
contributes to the killing of more animals. To get a baby
orangutan, for example, the hunter must first kill its parents,"
he said.