Police Nab Tiger Skin Traders in East Java

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry's Directorate General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) section II and the Forestry Police for Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara arrested a suspect identified as B (31) for allegedly trading tiger skin and dozens of parts of protected animals in East Java, August 7.

“We develop an investigation case from our two operations to examine other networks related to this crime against protected animals,” said Mohammad Nur, the Gakkum head, in a statement, Monday, August 12.

The officers confiscated four pieces of fresh tiger skin, three pieces of tiger head skin, nine pieces of tiger head skin in the form of reog (traditional mask), a piece of tiger tail skin, and a piece of tiger skin's part.

The officers also found with the suspect a bag containing small pieces of tiger skin, two pieces of leopard head skin, a piece of leopard head skin in the form of reog, several bundles of green and blue peacock feathers, and two antlers.

The seized goods came from tigers (Panthera tigris), leopards (Panthera pardus), green peacocks (Pavo muticus), blue peacocks (Pavo cristatus), and deer (Cervus timorensis) that are protected animals by the law. Even the tiger and the green peacock are listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species.

The arrest was made at a reog craft shop owned by B, who was arrested two days after the police apprehended  U (24) and R (23) in Yogyakarta.

The suspects will be charged with Article 40 (2) in conjunction with Article 21 (2a) of Law No. 5/1990 concerning natural resources and ecosystem conservation. They will face a maximum penalty of 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of Rp100 million.

MOH KHORY ALFARIZI