South Kalimantan Poolda Reveals Illicit Trafficking Of Proboscis Monkeys And Forest Cats, Allegedly Originating From Upstream Rivers

The South Kalimantan Police handed the proboscis monkey and jungle cat to the South Kalimantan BKSDA, Thursday, May 12. (ANTARA/Word)

KALSEL - The Sub-Directorate IV Team for Specific Crimes (Tipidter) of the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Kalimantan Police (Kalsel) confiscated one proboscis monkey and five jungle cats from the illegal trade in protected animals.

"A person with the initials MRN is still being investigated as the party keeping this protected wildlife at his home in Pekauman Village, South Banjarmasin District, Banjarmasin City," said Head of Sub-Directorate IV Tipidter of the South Kalimantan Police Criminal Investigation Unit AKBP Ifan Hariyat, in Banjarmasin, quoted by Antara, Thursday, May 12.

Police are still investigating MRN's statement, which claimed to have obtained the animals from someone in the district in the Hulu Sungai area, South Kalimantan.

If later the results of the examination are determined as a suspect, MRN will be charged with Article 40 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 21 Letter a of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources.

During the investigation, proboscis monkeys and bobcats were entrusted to the South Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Kalsel) to be cared for before being released into their natural habitat.

Ifan also expressed his gratitude to the public for providing information until the case was revealed.

When the police visited the perpetrator's house, a proboscis monkey and five forest cats were locked in two separate cages measuring approximately 80 cm long, 40 cm wide and 50 cm high.

The five bobcats looked like they were only a few weeks old. Likewise proboscis monkey, from its physical size which is not too big, it is estimated that it is still quite young.

Ifan, representing the Director of Special Criminal Investigation at the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Pol. Suhasto, reminded the public not to keep or trade protected animals because it would result in criminal prosecution.

Like the proboscis monkey, the faunal mascot of South Kalimantan by the international conservation agency IUCN has been on the red list since 2000 with the conservation status of endangered (threatened with extinction). In addition, proboscis monkeys are also listed on CITES as appendix I (not to be traded internationally).

Likewise, forest cats are included in the category of rare and endangered animals, so that based on Government Regulation Number 7 of 1999 and Law Number 5 of 1990 this cat is a protected wild animal.