On July 24, Natural Resources Conservation Center Bengkulu-Lampung and Lampung Agricultural Quarantine Cloass I assisted by FLIGHT succeeded to rescue 1527 birds without legal documents. These birds were about to be smuggled to Java from Lampung on Friday.

Head of Bengkulu Lampung Conservation Area III, Hifzon Zawahiri said that Natural Resources Conservation Center , FLIGHT, Bakauheni Police, and Agricultural Quarantine managed to rescue protected birds without legal documents. Some birds will be released directly at Tahura which is their natural habitat.

“For Protected birds we will do a rehabilitation first and wild birds will be released directly. Birds without legal documents are planned to be sent to Java. From various regions such as, Jambi, Padang and Lampung have become a transit point” said Hifzon to media.

Two people were suspected as the courier were successfully secured. Communication Director of Flight, Nabila Fatma said to media that Sumatran Birds smuggling increased significantly after large scale social restrictions (PSBB) has been eased and due to high demand from the bird markets. This certainly threatened the population of Sumatran Birds.

“During the COVID 19 pandemic, officers were very strict to restrict the traffic of vehicles and goods, so that complicating smuggling effort. The wild birds supply chain will be stopped. Since 2018, the smuggling of more than 100.000 Sumantran Birds were successfully thwarted by officers” said Nabila.

Meanwhile, the Head of Supervision and Enforcement of the Agricultural Quarantine Center I Bandar Lampung, Karman said to media that he would conduct a rapid test on birds which would be carried out by taking samples of several birds.

He continued, thousands of smuggled birds that were successfully thwarted were released in Tahura. Before being released, the birds underwent a rapid test to ensure it is free from the avian influenza virus.

source : https://lampung.antaranews.com/berita/437050/bksda-lampung-dan-flight-bird-tangkap-ribuan-burung-tanpa-dokumen