Trading of protected animals

Trading of protected animals

From Media Indonesia

Congratulations to the Jakarta Police, particularly the chief of detectives, for their success in arresting an illegal orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) trader in front of the Sheraton Bandara Hotel, Tangerang, on Aug. 28, 2000.

This is evidence that the police are really committed to helping to eradicate the illegal trading of protected and rare animals.

As an institution dealing with the conservation of plants and animals, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has a lot of respect for all the ranks of the Jakarta Police as they caught the suspect of the illegal trading of an orangutan red-handed and then pressed charges. This is important as a form of shock therapy to other traders of protected animals. We hope that this suspect can be subjected to a criminal sanction or a fine pursuant to Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of biological diversity and its ecosystem and government regulation No. 8/1999 on wildlife.

From our own observations, we have found that the trading of protected animals is openly practiced and that there is even a tendency that it will go on unchecked, a condition posing a threat to the sustainability of diverse species of Indonesian animals. To help overcome this matter, we are now intensifying our public campaigns through various mass media publications to put a stop to the trading of protected animals.

Besides, we are also actively monitoring the trading of animals, the result of which will be sent to the directorate general of nature protection and conservation to be followed up.

Finally, we highly support what the Jakarta Police have done in eradicating the illegal trade of protected animals. May this continue and may Indonesian animals, which win the world's admiration, multiply.

AGUS PURNOMO

Executive Director of WWF Indonesia