Yunus fights to save pet orangutans

Danny Raharto, Contributor, Jakarta

The name Yunus Makasau is not well known. He is not a celebrity or high-ranking official in the country. But as a staff member at the Ministry of Forestry, he has the tough job of stopping Jakarta's rich, who love to keep rare animals as pets, from stealing Indonesia's natural heritage.

Yunus, 51, uses different approaches from direct raids on markets to quiet diplomacy in seizing the animals. He recently managed to persuade former National Police chief, Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, to hand over his two orangutans Sela and Ucil, with a veterinarian as the mediator.

Both orangutans are now being kept in a cage at the backyard of the Nature Protection and Conservation Office in Tegalalur, West Jakarta, where Yunus works. They will be later taken to a rehabilitation center in Kalimantan.

Persuading people to hand over their "illegal" pets is not easy. Many police and military officers usually bring endangered species from isolated islands as "gifts".

"I often have to face police and military officers who threaten me with their guns. But I'm not afraid anymore since I'm used to it," Yunus said.

Most of the time his attempts to investigate the officers hit brick walls.

"I have to go to their commander to deal with the matter and usually the police officers said the animals will be presented to their commander," Yunus said.

It is not surprising to know that officers are interested in selling animals on Jl. Barito, South Jakarta, and the Pramuka market in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, for millions of rupiah. One orangutan is sold for Rp 5 million (US$560).

The population of orangutans in Indonesia is 14,000. Central Kalimantan is the last hope in efforts to save orangutans, said Willie Smits, director of the Balikpapan Orangutan Survival Foundation.

Trading orangutans has been easier due to the more open access in the forests caused by deforestation.

The economic crisis that hit the country in 1997 is also blamed as one of the main factors that encouraged people to steal baby animals from the forest.

"If someone wants to steal a baby orangutan, he must kill the parents meaning two orangutans," said Hardi Baktiantoro, coordinator at Animal Conservation for Life.

The baby orangutans are then transported to Jakarta by wooden boat.

"Usually the baby orangutans are depressed during the trip which reduces their chances of living," he said.

Yunus said the government does not always have the budget to finance the law enforcement in arresting those who are guilty of stealing and trading in endangered species.

With financial help of the Swiss-based Gibbon Foundation in March 1998 -- it helped build the conservation compound -- the situation has slightly changed.

The compound is used to rehabilitate the endangered animals seized from black markets in Jakarta before they are returned to their habitat.

Nowadays, Yunus and his colleagues have enough authority and funds to conduct raids on the markets and even door-to-door. Usually, one of the officers conducts surveillance prior to the raid.

But the raids are not without high risks.

"I receive a lot of threats usually from traders whose animals are seized," he said.

In a raid on Jl. Barito last year, Yunus was attacked by an angry mob. They backed off after one of Yunus's colleagues fired a gun in the air.

In the conservation compounds, people can see the results of the raids which are quite amazing. Owls and gibbons from Sumatra, birds of paradise and pig-nosed turtles from Irian Jaya and honey bears and orangutans from Kalimantan are among the endangered species being treated at the conservation.

Despite the hard efforts in raids, Yunus was still dissatisfied with the legal process of traders.

"Most of the time the cases go nowhere but to the Attorney General's Office. So far, there's only one case involving a trader put on a trial. He was sentenced to six months in prison and fined Rp 200,000. It was in August 2000," he said.

The stressful job has not made Yunus give up.

"When I get stressed out I only have to see these animals and I feel happy."