China, the Biggest Buyer of Indonesia's Endangered Animals
15 April 2014 06:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - China is the biggest buyer of endangered animals in Indonesia. "These animals are believed to be aphrodisiac foods for them," said Albertus Tjiu, chairman of West Kalimantan Orangutan Conservation Forum (FKOKB), on Sunday.
Albertus said liquids in hornbills' beak, shark fins and some body parts of these animals have been hunted since thousands of years ago. Last century, West Kalimantan had rhinos and elephants, but they were hunted to extinction as there was no ban.
According to Albertus, those protected animals are re-exported by Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Those animals are hidden in containers, trunks, or bags. Another mean is document falsification.
These animals, especially orangutans and gibbons, are allegedly in one chain with timber. They are sometimes mixed with the legal ones and are transported using passenger ships or under the guise of customary interests.
Albertus believed this illegal trade involves organized crime, which is in parallel to narcotics and arms trade. FKOKB recorded five cases of protected animals' trade in West Java handled by authorities. Unfortunately, verdicts for these cases are still light.
ASEANTY PAHLEVI