Ministry of Forestry Foils Wildlife Smuggling Attempt to Oman

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut), together with authorities at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, has successfully foiled an attempt to smuggle wildlife to Oman and secured a suspect with the initials AMR.

Director General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated that the smuggling of wildlife abroad must be seen as a threat to Indonesia’s biological sovereignty.

“This case should not be read merely as an incident at the airport departure gate. It is part of a larger agenda to safeguard the nation’s biological wealth,” Januanto said.

AMR was detained for allegedly attempting to smuggle a Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch) and a tri-coloured monitor lizard (Varanus yuwonoi) out of the country via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The Javan gibbon is an endemic Indonesian primate with significant value for forest ecosystems, while the tri-coloured monitor lizard is an endemic Indonesian reptile with a limited natural distribution and is often targeted in the illegal wildlife trade.

In response to the case, the ministry confirmed it is collaborating with various relevant parties to continue tracing the illegal supply chain, from the individuals who capture the animals from the wild, collectors, financiers, and travel organisers, to the recipients in the destination country.

Meanwhile, Aswin Bangun, Head of the Ministry’s Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Region, stated that investigators are currently strengthening the evidence against AMR and tracing the movement of the animals before they arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. He noted that the discovery at the airport serves as an entry point to map the source of the animals, their movement, the shipping plan, and the parties suspected of benefiting from the illegal trade.