On top of the serious threat facing Indonesia’s endangered species due to deforestation and the destruction of their natural habitats, they are also at risk due to poaching and a massive boom in the illegal wildlife trade that is increasingly being conducted through social media.
Yesterday, officers from the Jakarta Police’s Environmental Resources Subdivision recently raided a house in Pejaten, South Jakarta, from which they rescued a baby orangutan, a snow leopard and a sun bear. They also arrested the house’s owner, identified by his initials AM, for illegally purchasing the protected animals through social media.
https://www.facebook.com/ipal.silaban/posts/1303433339746082
“This suspect likes animals. He used the internet [to find the animals] and then communicated with sellers on Facebook and moved to Instagram. From Instagram they then set up a meeting between seller and buyer. Then using a delivery order he sent the pictures and prices. He paid for [the animals] when they arrived at his home,” Jakarta Police Head Spokesperson Prabowo Argo Yuwono said as quoted on his department’s blog.
Police said they were tipped off by conservationists who had been monitoring the Instagram account on the suspicion that it was being used as a front for illegal wildlife trading.
According to Prabowo, AM paid Rp 60 million for the snow leopard, Rp 25 million for the baby orangutan and Rp 15 million for the sun bear. He said AM had kept the snow leopard for one year and purchased the bear and orangutan in January.
For his crime, AM will be charged with trafficking of protected species, a crime for which he could face up to 5 years in prison for and a fine of up to Rp 100 million.
The seller has not yet been caught, but Prabowo said that officers from the Environmental Resources subdivision were still investigating the case.
Reader Interactions