(ID) International Animal Rescue supports raids on wildlife traders in Indonesia

March 12, 2009

March 2009

IAR supports police raids in Indonesia

International Animal Rescue in Indonesia is lending its full support to the

national police force in its efforts to hunt down members of syndicates

involved in the trade in endangered species in the country. The police

action follows the arrests in Jakarta last week of five such traders.

Also supporting the raids, which have been launched at ports and airports in

major cities and in the habitats of the protected species, are the Forum for

Jakarta Wildlife (FSLJ), the Wildlife Conservation Society's Indonesian

Programme, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network and ProFauna. These groups are all

assisting with information on the syndicates and wildlife collectors in the

country.

The raids are being conducted at certain locations that cannot be named

because they are still ongoing. Last week, the police caught five traders

red-handed offering the pelts of Sumatran tigers, leopards and sun bears at

Rawabening Market in Jakarta.

Wildlife groups are accusing buyers and collectors, mostly businesspeople,

of contributing to the decimation of numerous protected species in the

country, saying the increasing demand has encouraged the poaching and

illegal trade in the wildlife. They are calling for harsh penalties to be

imposed on anyone collecting endangered species.

Alan Knight, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue, said: " We need

to send out a strong message to traders and collectors of endangered species

that they are committing a serious crime that will be severely punished. "

The FSLJ said the poaching of sun bears was widespread in Sumatra, where

they were traded in Aceh, Medan, Padang, Bengkulu and Jambi, while leopards

were hunted in East Java and traded in Surabaya, Jakarta and Bali.

A tiger pelt can sell for up to Rp 10 million, and that of a sun bear for

around Rp 15 million.

It seems most dealers supply their goods directly to their selected buyers

to avoid arrest, with the transactions normally conducted underground. Many

traders pay villagers to poach the animals after stirring up fear among them

that wildlife is a common enemy that has to be killed before it can kill

villagers or damage crops.

ProFauna has identified 10 cities where wildlife, mainly tigers and

elephants, are illegally traded.

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