Joint team in Bali thwarts bird smuggling attempt
Denpasar (ANTARA) - The Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) together with a joint team on the Island of the Gods thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1,424 birds without documents at the Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana Regency, and the Padangbai Port, Karangasem Regency.
“Official transport documents are very important to ensure the origin of the animals,” said the Head of BKSDA Bali, Ratna Hendratmoko, in a press release in Denpasar, Friday.
In addition, the documents also ensure the health of the animals, as well as prevent potential violations and illegal trade in flora and fauna.
In thwarting the smuggling of non-protected animals, the agency collaborated with the Bali Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine Agency (BBKHIT), the Port Security Implementation Unit (KP3), the Indonesian Navy, the Karangasem Police, and the Flight Protecting Indonesia’s Birds NGO.
In an operation at the Gilimanuk Port, officers found three boxes containing birds without documents being transported using one of the bus fleets with license plate DK 7301 GH heading to Surabaya.
She said the owner of the birds was not found in the vehicle, so all the animals were secured for identification. Based on the results of the identification, 32 birds were found in good condition and still young.
The birds are nine Bali spectacles (Zosterops melanurus), three brown-breasted forest warblers (Cyornis olivaceus), six Javan prinia (Orthotomus sepium).
Then nine Javan wren-babblers or Chinese bulbuls (Prinia familiaris), five scarlet minivets (Geokichla citrina).
Ratna explained that all of these species are non-protected animals, but they are still required to be equipped with official transport documents in accordance with the applicable provisions.
Considering that the birds are still young and it is not yet possible to release them into the wild, the agency coordinated with the Indonesian Wildlife Network Foundation (YJSI) for temporary care and maintenance of the animals before they can be released into the wild.
Meanwhile, at the second location, namely at the Padangbai Port, the Quarantine officers received information regarding the alleged transport of birds without documents using a bus fleet with license plate AA 7301 OE that came from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) with the destination of Situbondo and Klaten.
Officers found a total of 1,392 birds, namely seven hill mynas (Oriolus chinensis), 13 Javan wren-babblers, 69 crested mynas (Heleia dohertyi), 899 Lombok spectacles (Zosterops chloris) and Wallace’s spectacles (Zosterops wallacei) as many as 149.
There were also 121 comb-crested drongos (Pycnonotus aurigaster), 24 crimson sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis), 14 banana-eating bulbuls (Orthotomus sutorius), three scarlet-backed flowerpeckers (Dicaeum sanguinolentum) and 93 black-faced shrikes (Lanius schach).
The thousands of birds found at the Padangbai Port were then handed over to the authorities in NTB to be released in the Suranadi Nature Tourism Park (TWA), Narmada District, West Lombok Regency.
Ratna added that the transport of flora and fauna within the country requires every individual or business actor to complete the Domestic Plant and Animal Transport Certificate (SATS DN) issued by the KSDA Office as proof of legality of origin, type, and quantity of animals in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 18 of 2024.