Javan Hawk-Eagle Faces Extinction, Hunted and Sold Online for up to Rp5 Million
The Javan hawk-eagle, which is said to resemble the Garuda emblem, is facing the threat of extinction. The bird endemic to Java is still hunted from the wild and traded illegally, including through online transactions. Its price reaches Rp5 million.
Chairman of Raptor Indonesia, Zaini Rahman, said the Javan hawk-eagle is categorised as endangered. According to him, without conservation efforts, the species could become extinct within the next few decades.
“Yes, it is categorised as endangered. With the endangered category, if there are no conservation efforts within 20 years, it will become extinct,” he said in Kuta, Badung, on Friday (21/8/2026).
Zaini said that based on international conservation categories, the ideal population for a species to be considered not threatened with extinction is around 2,500 individuals.
Meanwhile, the Javan hawk-eagle population on Java is currently estimated at around 511 pairs, or more than 1,000 individuals. If combined with the Javan hawk-eagle population in Bali and chicks that have successfully developed, the total population is estimated to reach around 1,500 individuals.
According to Zaini, hunting of the Javan hawk-eagle still occurs. The wildlife trade has also taken advantage of technological developments, with transactions conducted online.
“Hunting of the Javan hawk-eagle still exists. With today’s technology, the trade is not direct but online. There are quite a lot of them. They do it secretly,” he said.
Zaini said one reason the Javan hawk-eagle trade persists is the bird’s resemblance to the Garuda. That resemblance encourages people to want to own a Javan hawk-eagle.
“So the irony is that because the Javan hawk-eagle is made a national animal, a national symbol, its resemblance to the Garuda leads many people to want to own one,” he explained.
Besides being considered to have prestige value, the illegally traded Javan hawk-eagle also has an economic value ranging from Rp1 million to Rp5 million.
“Online it is around Rp1 million to Rp5 million,” he said.
He said the traded animals generally come from captures in the wild. This is because a Javan hawk-eagle breeding programme for legal trade is not yet available.
Zaini believes efforts to maintain the Javan hawk-eagle population require the involvement of various parties. Conservation cannot be carried out only by non-governmental organisations or researchers, but also requires the role of government, communities, and the private sector.
“Not only from NGOs or researchers, but also from the government, for example where spatial planning plays a role and so on. Then from the community itself, and also from the private sector. We are not anti-development, but we need sustainable development,” he added.