Officers from Joint Team foiled an attempt to smuggle 6,514 wild birds at Bakauheni Port, South Lampung, on Tuesday night (10/15/2024).

This wildlife enforcement operation was carried out in collaboration with officers from the Indonesian Quarantine Agency, the TNI’s Kerinci BAIS Task Force, the Lampung Police Directorate, the Penengahan Police, and the NGO Flight Protecting Indonesia’s Birds.

Bakauheni Port Head of Operations, Akhir Santoso, said that the action was taken after joint officers received information from the public regarding an attempt to smuggle wildlife.

“After receiving the information, at around 20.30 WIB, the joint team checked a box truck passing through Bandar Bakau Jaya Port, Bakauheni,” said Akhir when confirmed on Wednesday (16/10/2024).

He revealed that the thousands of birds were planned to be smuggled to the Tangerang area.

In the truck, 6,514 birds were found packed in 216 baskets. The birds came from Kayu Agung, South Sumatra, and were planned to be sent to Balaraja, Tangerang,” he explained.

He said that the types of birds confiscated included Java Perch (2,080 birds), Prenjak (1,040 birds), Zosterops (1,600 birds), The Long-tailed Shrike (160 birds), Trucuk Bird (229 birds), The Black-headed Bulbul (120 birds), Goldfinch (60 birds), and various other types of birds. Of the total birds secured, 257 of them were included in the protected category.

“The birds were not accompanied by health certificates and were not reported to quarantine officers, thus violating Article 88 of Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine. The perpetrators are threatened with a maximum prison sentence of 2 years and a fine of up to 2 billion rupiah,” he said.

In addition, the perpetrators are also charged with Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems, which can provide a penalty of up to five years in prison.

He stated that his party will continue to tighten supervision to prevent wildlife smuggling and maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem. “It is important for us to maintain Indonesia’s fauna wealth so that it remains protected from illegal activities like this,” he concluded.

Separately, FLIGHT Executive Director Marison Guciano appreciated the work of this joint team. He said that this was the largest seizure ever in Sumatra.

Marison said that this network was very difficult to detect. They operate in a neat and sophisticated mode.

“Usually smugglers use Bakauheni Port as an exit to Java so that officers focus on monitoring there, but this time they used BBJB Port, which was completely beyond officers’ expectations,” he explained.

He explained that thousands of wild animals were smuggled using closed box cars that had been modified so that they were difficult to see with the naked eye by officers.

“This is actually impossible to do because there is no air ventilation, but they (the smugglers) modified it by using a fan inside,” explained Marison.

He added that, based on the information received, the perpetrators have repeatedly carried out smuggling activities.