Kemenhut Tangkap Pedagang Kucing Kuwuk di Medan

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Forestry (Gakkum Kemenhut) together with the North Sumatra Police (Sumut) managed to secure the perpetrators of the trade of six Kuwuk Cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) which are protected status in Medan, North Sumatra.

Head of the Regional Forestry Gakkum Office for Sumatra, Hari Novianto, explained that his party together with the North Sumatra Police had secured an actor with the initials SD who was caught in the act of buying and selling protected wildlife of the Kuwukdi Cat type in Medan City, North Sumatra Province (North Sumatra).

"The process of taking action against the SD perpetrators was cooperative after the officers showed strong evidence related to the illegal trading activities carried out by the perpetrators through Facebook," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, February 23.

"We have ordered investigators to investigate the role of the perpetrators and other parties suspected of being involved in the chain of protected wildlife trafficking syndicates in North Sumatra," he continued.

He said the security of the suspect began with a report from the public about the alleged sale and purchase of protected animals. The team then managed to thwart the delivery of six Kuwuk Cats which are protected animal species through land transportation services in Medan City.

When the SD perpetrator was searched at the location, the animal was stored in a cardboard box. The six cats have been handed over to the Sibolangit Animal Rescue Center (PPS) for further treatment and rehabilitation.

Based on the results of the examination and the title of the case, he said, investigators named SD as a suspect in the case of forestry crimes, namely storing, possessing, maintaining, transporting, and trading protected wildlife.

For his actions, he continued, the suspect was threatened with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of Rp. 20 billion.