Two Pekanbaru residents have been arrested by the Indonesian Military (TNI) for the illegal trading of wildlife in Dumai, Riau.
Head of Dumai Customs and Excise Office, Fuad Fauzi, confirmed that he had earlier received reports of illegal trading of protected animals in the area.
“We suspect that the animals were heading to Malaysia and were to be delivered by speedboat from a harbor belonging to one of the locals,” he stated.
SP, 40 and JD, 27 are the identities assigned to the two suspects. They were found to have possessed seven rare primates without licenses. The three orangutans, two crab-eating macaques, one siamang, and one binturong were kept in cardboard boxes.
“The price for all of the primates can be up to Rp1.42billion (US$100,321),” Fuad said.
Head of the BKSDA Riau – Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Suharyono advised that the animals will be under their temporary supervision and custody. Their team of vets claimed that the primates needed special medical attention. “Thankfully, they still want to drink milk, even though they are afraid of humans,” he said.
The case will be handled by the Sumatra Environment and Forestry Agency. “The perpetrators will be charged under Law No. 5/1990 on natural resources and ecosystem as well as Law No. 17/2006 on customs,” Suharyono added. The suspects could face five years imprisonment and will be subjected to a fine of up to Rp100million.
Source: The Jakarta Post
Image: National Geographic