Yogyakarta Police Arrest Seller of 100 Crooked Beak Cockatoos

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Yogyakarta Police AKP Archye Nevada shows evidence of the crooked beaks cockatoos during a press conference at the Happy Loka Zoo (GL Zoo), Yogyakarta, Thursday (20/7/2023) (ANTARA/Luqman Hakim)

YOGYAKARTA - The Yogyakarta City Police have arrested a person with the initials RAW (25), a resident of Kendal, Central Java, on suspicion of trading a protected animal, in the form of a parrot, via social media.

Kasat Reskrim Yogyakarta Police AKP Archye Nevada said the RAW suspect was arrested on July 4, 2023 in Kendal, Central Java after a series of tracking of his Facebook account.

"The suspect sold it by posting photos of the animals, then the transaction was carried out through a freight forwarder and payment was made via account transfer according to the agreement," he said as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, July 20.

Archye said that RAW was known to market the parrot through a Facebook account under the name "Mas Yanto" based on the results of the Yogyakarta Police Unit 5 Satreskirm cyber patrol on June 26, 2023.

The police then trapped RAW by posing as a buyer and then ordering a bird online.

After the transaction, the suspect sent goods in the form of a parrot with a beak at a price of IDR 1.3 million.

After the investigation, a joint team from the Yogyakarta Police together with officers from the Yogyakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) arrested RAW in Kendal on 4 July 2023 at 22.40 WIB.

From the Kendall resident, the police confiscated evidence in the form of one Maluku cockatoo, two yellow-crested cockatoos, and one orange-crested cockatoo.

Apart from the animals, a white branded Redmi mobile phone unit was also seized which RAW used to transact with buyers as well as an account book in the suspect's name.

RAW admitted to the police that he had traded more than 100 parrots.

"More than 100 parrots were traded by the suspects with a profit of more than IDR 30 million," said Archye.

After arresting RAW, the police are still developing the case by tracing the people who bought these protected animals.

"Including his expeditionary services, does he know that the goods are protected animals and so on, we are still developing them," he said.

A number of animals that were successfully secured were then entrusted to GL Zoo Yogyakarta for observation.

For his actions, the RAW suspect was charged with Article 21 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 40 paragraph (2) of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems with a penalty of five years and a maximum fine of IDR 100 million.

GL Zoo Conservation Manager Josephine Vanda Tritayani said that currently a total of 10 parrots have been entrusted by the Yogyakarta BKSDA and the Yogyakarta Police, some of which have been handed over from the community.

Some of these animals are still in the quarantine process because they are infected with Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), so monitoring is needed for the next 30 days.

After conducting an assessment of both animal health and behavior, GL Zoo in coordination with the Yogyakarta BKSDA will release a number of these protected birds to their natural habitat.

"Or for example we need rehabilitation later, we will do it after the quarantine process is over," he said.