West Sumatra Police Arrest Illegal Animal Traffickers And Release Animals Back To Habitat

Animal detention in West Sumatra/Photo: Antara

PADANG - The West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) together with the West Sumatra Regional Police (Polda) released protected animals, which are evidence of the crime of illegal wildlife trade, to their natural habitat in the wild at Bung Hatta Grand Forest Park, Monday 14 March The head of the West Sumatra BKSDA Ardi Andono, in a written statement received in Padang, Tuesday, March 15, said the released animals were some of the evidence that was successfully secured by the West Sumatra BKSDA Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) team and the West Sumatra Police Special Criminal Investigation Directorate. Among the protected animals that were released back into the wild are six elephant foot turtles or brown baning turtles (Manouria emys) and two pangolins (Manis javanica). wild plants and animals in Payakumbuh on Monday, March 7, with the suspect with the initials MIH. While one pangolin is a n is a protected animal that was secured by the Ditreskrimsus of the West Sumatra Police on Friday (11/3) in the Lubuk Begalung area, Padang, with the suspect with the initials MAD; while one other pangolin was handed over by the people of Limau Manis. Ardi said the selection of the Bung Hatta Grand Forest Park location was as a wild animal release, because it borders the Barisan Wildlife Reserve which is the habitat of the two types of animals. In addition, BKSDA is also considering about food, safety, and natural predators of these animals.

The legal process for the trade in wild plants and animals is being carried out by investigators from the Ditreskrimsus Polda West Sumatra. Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, with a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of Rp. 100 million. critically endangered (CR) based on the red list of The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Conservation status in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is appendix 1 for pangolins, which means that they cannot be traded, while for baning tortoises chocolate is in the appendix 2.