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.