BKSDA Forms Team To Find Gold Cats Circulating At PTPN 7 Pesawaran Lampung

The joint team was looking for a gold cat roaming Pesawaran Lampung. (ANTARA/HO/BKSDA Lampung)

PESAWARAN - The Bengkulu-Lampung Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) formed a team to search for the presence of the Golden Cat wildlife (Catopuma temminckii) that roams in PTPN I Regional 7, Sukaraja Village, Tataan Building District, Pesawaran Regency.

"The teams involved in this activity include 3 people from SKW III Lampung, 5 people from KPHK Tahura WAR UPTD, 1 person from the Koramil of the Tataan Building, 2 people from PAM YONIV 143 TWEJ TWEJ PTPN I Regional 7 security," said Head of the Lampung Regional Conservation Section (SKW) III Joko Susilodi reported by ANTARA, Friday, June 14.

He said the formation of the team was aimed at finding the presence of wildlife that was troubling residents in Pesawaran Lampung.

"The action taken was that the team conducted a sweep around the location which was reported on June 13, 2024, through the Lampung SKW III Call Center, the appearance of wild forest cat species with the results of the team having not found the whereabouts of a gold cat," he said.

According to him, the location where the gold cat appeared was overgrown with thick and thick thick thick thickets, while the distance between the appearance of the gold cat to the Mount Betung UPTD Tahura WAR area was approximately one kilometer away.

Previously, the Bengkulu-Lampung BKSDA confirmed the appearance of a gold cat wild animal which was caught on camera by residents in the PTPN 7 Pesawaran area, Lampung.

Head of SKWIII Lampung Joko Susilo, when contacted from South Lampung, Friday explained that the appearance of a tiger in the PTPN 7 area, Gedong Tataan, Pesawaran Regency was a gold cat.

"From the photos circulating in the online mass media and based on the report of UPTD KPHK Tahura Wan Abdul Rachman of the Lampung Province Forestry Service (Dishut) and employees of PTPN 1 Regional 7, Sukaraja Village, through the Call Center SKW III Lampung BKSDA Bengkulu, this type of animal is the Golden Cat (Catouma temminckii)," he said.

His party appealed to the public not to act in arresting, killing, injuring, storing, trading both alive and dead as well as their parts, because they could be threatened with imprisonment for a maximum of 5 years and a maximum fine of Rp. 100 million. This is based on the provisions of article 40 in conjunction with article 21 paragraph (2) of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems.

"People don't need to worry and be afraid, because these animals will avoid leaving alone because of their natural nature of moving to find a partner and or territory," he said.

He said the animals were included in the list of protected species based on the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number P.106 of 2018.