Rare pets given up in Bogor

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

A family in Jl. Sanggabuana, Bogor, were distressed that they had to part with their bird pet, and their child had been crying all morning about it.

"He knows that our pet is going to be taken away. It has been with us since 1995," the mother said.

But the family has decided to let go of their yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). They called up wildlife conservation officers to pick it up last Tuesday.

The family is one of four of a total 100 families in Bogor who responded to conservation officers' letters asking them to hand over the protected animals they were keeping as pets.

The Bogor wildlife conservation unit conducted the operation in an to attempt to retrieve all of the wild animals.

According to chief Noor Rakhmat, there were dozens of animals on his list besides the cockatoos and four peacocks they picked up later in the day from a house in Dramaga village, Cibeureum.

Also on the list were three deer, a gibbon, a Javanese eagle, a cassowary, and even a crocodile that was captured from the Ciapus River by residents of Carangpulang village.

"The operation will be held continuously until we get all of them," Noor said.

These animals, he added, would be sent to the Animal Rescue Center in Gadog. The operation would be held as far as Cianjur and Sukabumi districts, West Java.

Noor said that few people understood that keeping wild animals and endangered species was a crime.

His office had started to disseminate information about laws and regulations regarding wildlife conservation, including Law No. 15/1990 on wildlife protection. It carries a maximum penalty of 10-years imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp 100 million (US$10,260).

"We repeatedly tell people that it's better for these animals to live in the wild," Noor added. (004)