The Smuggling Mode Of Typing Wild Animals On The Terkuak Passenger Bus, 3 Bekantans And 2 Owamankan In Gorontalo

Officers rescued bekantan and gibbon from smuggling in Gorontalo City, Thursday 9 February 2023. (ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Environment and Forestry)

GORONTALO - Directorate General (Dirjen) of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) thwarted the smuggling of protected wild animals of bekantan type and white beard gibbon in Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province.

Head of the Sulawesi KLHK Law Enforcement Center, Dodi Kurniawan, said this was a form of the government's commitment to eradicating crimes against wildlife protected by law.

"We will explore the possibility of the involvement of other parties in this case, so as to uncover the network and stop the smuggling of protected animals," he said in a statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 14, which was confiscated by Antara.

On February 9, 2023, the operations team of the Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement Center arrested a minibus driver with the initials ZH who was 23 years old. He is the perpetrator of legally protected wildlife smuggling.

From the hands of the perpetrators, the team secured protected wildlife consisting of three defenders (Nasalis larvae) with one death condition, as well as two white beard gibbons (Hylobates albibarbis).

The protected wildlife is deposited at the North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Center (KSDA) SKW II Gorontalo. Meanwhile, the perpetrator was questioned by officers to investigate the smuggling case.

Dodi explained that the disclosure of the case of smuggling protected wildlife was revealed thanks to information from the public who saw wild animals in cages loaded in minibuses at Andalas Terminal, Gorontalo City.

Based on information obtained by the team, Dodi said that the smuggling mode was carried out by entrusting animals in the minibus of passengers on the route of Toboli Village, Central Sulawesi to Gorontalo City.

When they arrived in Gorontalo City, the bus handed over the animal to the travel representative who took it to Manado City.

"The perpetrator is suspected of violating the provisions of Article 40 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 21 paragraph (2) letters a and b of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems with a maximum imprisonment of five years and a maximum fine of Rp. 100 million," said Dodi.