White cockatoo to be protected

AMBON, Maluku: The North Maluku government has proposed to the Forestry Ministry that the white cockatoo (Cacatua Alba) be cassified as a protected species.

Madjid Abdullah, the Deputy Governor of North Maluku, conveyed the proposal to the ministry on Feb. 3, according to Rozek Noorsaid, the director of animal protection group ProFauna Indonesia.

Rozek said the proposal came after protests by ProFauna activists and North Maluku students on Jan. 31 this year.

According to investigation by ProFauna, more than 500 white cockatoos in North Maluku province are captured and traded annually. -- JP