2 Years Keeping Cervus Unicolor, This Bengkulu Resident Just Realized Including Protected Animals

BENGKULU - Seluma Police Satreskrim personnel, Bengkulu, confiscated a sambar deer (cervus unicolor) which was kept by a resident of Rantau Panjang Village, Seluma Regency during the 2021 Wanalaga Nala Operation.

Seluma Police Chief AKBP Darmawan Dwiharyanto said the protected animals were confiscated from a resident named Samhuri (36).

"When examined, the owner admitted that he had kept the deer for 2 years. Because the deer are protected animals, we confiscated them," said the Chief of Police in his statement during the case at the Seluma Police Headquarters, Antara, Tuesday, August 24.

Darmawan explained that the disclosure of this protected animal case started from public information. The officer then followed up the information by directly visiting the animal owner's house.

Sure enough, at the house the police found a sambar deer which is one of the largest types of deer in Indonesia.

Before seizing the deer, the police together with the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) first provided education to animal owners about the rules for ownership of protected animals. Because previously Samhuri did not know anything. Until finally the owner was willing to give up the pet.

"We have handed over the deer to the BKSDA to be treated and then released into the wild," said the Police Chief.

Operation Wanalaga is an operation code carried out by the Bengkulu Regional Police (Polda) to uncover crime cases related to forestry and living natural resources and their ecosystems.

This operation, which is routinely carried out every year, has succeeded in uncovering hundreds of cases. In 2020, the Bengkulu Police Wanalaga Operation arrested 64 perpetrators, all of whom were later named suspects.