19 Protected Animals From Papua Smuggled, Mode: Deployed By Robot Toys

SENTANI - Jayapura Agricultural Quarantine, Papua together with AVSEC Angkasa Pura Logistics Sentani Airport and AVSEC Under Operation Control (BKO) Silas Papapre Air Base managed to confiscate 19 illegal animals at Sentani Airport.

The head of the Jayapura Agricultural Quarantine, Muhlis Natsir, said that thanks to good cooperation, reptiles from Papua could be saved from the circulation of illegal animals through the Sentani Airport route.

"We managed to confiscate 19 wild animals without documents of reptile type detected in the X-Ray AVSEC device Angkasa Pura Logistics Sentani Airport," said Muhlis, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, June 12.

According to Muhlis, the wild animals are five Panana lizards (tiliqua gigas), 10 blue tailed lizards, one blue biawak (varanus doreanus) and three pythons (morelia amethistina).

"The perpetrators tried to smuggle these wild animals from Papua by hiding them in a cardboard box that read robotic toys," he said.

He explained that the wildlife was secured by quarantine officers to be handed over to the Papua Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA) as the agency in charge of conservation functions so that it could be returned to its natural habitat.

"People must be able to maintain and report all unlawful actions, especially for the survival of the Papuan ecosystem and biodiversity," he said.

His party will take firm action without exception against illegal actions to provide a deterrent effect for the perpetrators as well as a concrete action to secure the natural wealth of Papua.

"We are committed to maintaining and securing the natural wealth and ecosystem of Papua as assets of our country," said Muhlis Natsir.