Lampung Quarantine Authorities Seize 111 Protected Birds from Illegal Trade
The Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Authority (Karantina) in Lampung rescued and secured 111 protected birds without proper documentation from illegal circulation.
The illegal bird trafficking case was uncovered at the entrance of Seaport Intradiction Pier 2 at Bakauheni Port, when Lampung Quarantine officers and a team from Flight Protection Indonesia Birds conducted routine inspections of vehicles preparing to cross, according to Lampung Quarantine Head Donni Muksydayan.
During inspection of a refrigerated truck entering the port area, quarantine officers discovered dozens of suspicious baskets and cardboard boxes in the truck bed. Upon unloading, authorities found 35 baskets and 25 cardboard boxes containing various bird species, totalling 1,320 birds in transit.
From identification results, 111 birds were classified as protected wildlife under Indonesian law, including 17 small leaf-birds, 18 large leaf-birds, 39 blue-winged leaf-birds, 30 Sumatran leaf-birds, 1 orange-breasted leafbird, 2 yellow-rumped honeyguides, and 4 Asian fairy-bluebirds. The remaining 1,209 birds comprised 21 different non-protected species.
The truck driver, identified only by the initial P, could not produce quarantine requirement certificates or authorisation documents for transporting protected wildlife. Each animal shipment between areas must be accompanied by animal health certificates and quarantine documentation. For protected species, additional permits from competent authorities are required, in accordance with Law No. 21 of 2019 on Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, which requires all animal transport media to undergo quarantine procedures and carry official documentation.
Wildlife protection provisions are also governed by Law No. 32 of 2024, amending Law No. 5 of 1990 on Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems, which prohibits any person from capturing, storing, possessing, keeping, transporting, or trading protected wildlife without authorisation.