Military involved in trade of rare animals: Activists
Military involved in trade of rare animals: Activists
Lely T. Djuhari, Associated Press, Jakarta
Thousands of endangered birds from Maluku and Papua provinces are
caught and transported by the Indonesian military for sale at
illegal markets, animal activists and officials said on Thursday.
Warships transporting army troops to Indonesia's main island
of Java after their tours of duty in the two remote regions
usually carry hundreds of rare parrots and other birds packed
into small wire cages or plastic bags, said a report released on
Thursday by the Animal Conservation for Life, Indonesia's leading
animal protection group.
The birds undergo a sea passage lasting more than a week and
many die en route, the group said.
"It's a very lucrative business," chairman Rosek Nursahid said
at a news conference in Jakarta.
The military could not be reached for comment.
Nursahid said the report was based on a 15-month study by the
environmental group, which monitored bird catchers, government
and military officials, and sellers.
Weak law-enforcement practices and corruption within
Indonesian's forestry department means that officials routinely
issue permits allowing private companies to catch and sell
protected species, Nursahid said.
Birds are sold at five major black markets in Java. From
there, they are smuggled to Singapore and Malaysia, and some even
end up in European pet shops.
The most popular species are the Black Capped Lory, a
multicolor feathered parrot well liked for its ability to imitate
sounds, and the white Halmahera Cockatoo, Nursahid said.
Last August, military police seized dozens of rare birds
smuggled on board the KRI Teluk Sampit, a troop transport that
sailed from the Papuan capital Jayapura to Java. They questioned
several officers but none were arrested.
Adi Susmianto, a senior official at the Forestry Ministry who
was present at the news conference, acknowledged that corruption
within his agency allowed the illegal animal trade to flourish.
"We are still investigating cases," he said.
Animal activists say hundreds of creatures are sold each month
in Indonesia despite their protection under the Convention on
International Trade on Endangered Species.
Environmentalists say a shrinking habitat also threatens
Indonesia's rare species. The lush forests are rapidly
disappearing due to urban expansion and uncontrolled logging.