Yogyakarta Authorities Pursuing Shooters of Whale Shark Found Dead in Kulon Progo
Translator
Editor
27 July 2022 13:59 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rangers of the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) of Yogyakarta Special Region are pursuing the people who shot a whale shark. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) was found dead with bullet wounds on the shores of Bogowonto, Congot Beach, Kulon Progo, on Tuesday, 26 July.
"Shooting sharks is a criminal act of wildlife hunting," BKSDA Yogyakarta forest ranger Gunadi said on Wednesday.
Although preliminary examinations suggest that the gunshot wound found on the whale was not the main cause of its death, Gunadi said the act is still a crime. The shooter can be charged with violating Law No.5/1990 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems.
"Whale sharks have an important role in maintaining the ecosystem of the marine food chain. Hunting it is an unjustifiable act."
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) included the whale shark in its red list of threatened species with a vulnerable status.
Gunadi said the BKSDA is not yet able to surmise who might have shot the 8.7-meter long spotted shark. "It can't be the fishermen working in the south coast of Yogyakarta as they are not likely to have the supporting equipment and shooting tools to hunt sharks," he said.
The whale was shot with a bow-like device that throws bullets or spears with hooks to pull its body to shore. The giant mammal managed to escape from being captured, but examination results from the UGM veterinary team showed that its liver was damaged.
"Our temporary conclusion is that the shark's death was not caused by the shot, because the wound from the shot was only 2 to 3 cm deep from the thickness of its flesh that reached 50 cm," he said.
The shark is thought to have died in the ocean before eventually stranded on the Congot Beach of Kulon Progo last night at around 18:00 West Indonesia Time.
"We don't know exactly when the shark died before it finally washed up on the Kulon Progo beach," Gunadi said.
PRIBADI WICAKSONO (CONTRIBUTOR)
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo in Google News
