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