284 undocumented birds were thwarted in Gilimanuk, Bali quarantine tightened surveillance

JEMBRANA - The delivery of hundreds of birds without valid documents was successfully thwarted by officers of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency through the Bali Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Center (Bali Quarantine). These undocumented birds were to be smuggled into Central Java.

Head of the Bali Quarantine Headquarters Heri Yuwono said that the shipment of animals without quarantine documents was not the first time. Therefore, surveillance at the Bali exit points will continue to be tightened as part of efforts to maintain the safety of wildlife and the sustainability of Indonesian wildlife.

"This modus operandi of sending animals without documents is not the first time it has happened. Violations like this keep happening and are a serious concern for the Indonesian Quarantine Agency to continue to strengthen surveillance as a form of biological defense as well as maintaining the sustainability of Indonesian nature," said Heri in an electronic message received by VOI, Monday, August 3.

The disclosure of the case was carried out by the Bali Quarantine officers at the Gilimanuk Service Unit (Satpel) together with the Gilimanuk Port Conservation Center (BKSDA) and the Gilimanuk Port Police when they carried out integrated supervision at Pos 1 Gilimanuk Port, Saturday, August 1.

This case was revealed after officers received information about the plan to ship birds using a night bus to Central Java. The information was immediately followed up with an inspection of the suspected vehicle.

When checking the bus luggage, officers found hundreds of birds packed in three cardboard boxes and four fruit baskets. However, the bus crew was unable to show the Animal Health Certificate or quarantine documents as required by Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine.

Officers then secured all the animals to prevent illegal circulation while minimizing the risk of spreading animal diseases between regions. A total of 284 birds secured consisted of 136 pheasants, 101 pheasants, 31 wingko lizards, and 16 brown chest forest cicadas.

All the birds were then handed over to the BKSDA to be released in the Karangsewu area, West Bali National Park, Jembrana Regency.

Karantina Bali menegaskan akan terus memperkuat pengawasan terhadap lalu lintas satwa sebagai implementasi Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 29 Tahun 2023. Langkah tersebut dilakukan untuk mencegah perdagangan satwa liar secara ilegal sekaligus memastikan setiap media pembawa yang dilalulintaskan memenuhi persyaratan karantina demi menjaga keamanan hayati Indonesia.