Wildlife smuggling

Wildlife smuggling

From Media Indonesia

In connection with the foiled attempt to smuggled out hundreds of protected animals through Jakarta's Soekarto-Hatta airport, ProFauna Indonesia, an independent wildlife protection organization, wishes to convey the following statement:

* The recent smuggling case reflects the rampant illegal trade in wildlife, the extent of which has not been fully uncovered. Customs and quarantine agencies, authorized to conduct investigations or seize contraband, have not proactively preventing the smuggling of protected animals. Many of the officials in charge are not well informed about which species are protected by law. Therefore, there needs to be cooperation between the forestry ministry's natural resources conservation center and the customs and quarantine authorities.

* Based on ProFauna's findings, the illicit trade of wildlife takes place at the bird markets of Pramuka and Barito in Jakarta almost weekly. The value of animals bought and sold reaches Rp 2 billion to Rp 5 billion monthly.

* The trade in protected species at Pramuka should be sternly dealt with. So far, operations to seize protected animals at Pramuka have failed due to information leaks, thus indicating the presence of organized criminals and corruption.

* Wildlife smuggling violates Law No. 5/1990 and the Convention Against the International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), ratified by Indonesia in 1978.

* Those involved in wildlife smuggling should be transparently subjected to legal action. Prosecutors' demands for punishment and court verdicts have so far been lenient, raising suspicion about the presence of collusion.

HARDI BAKTIANTORO, ProFauna Indonesia, Jakarta