The smuggling of wild birds has occurred again, posing a real threat to the preservation of Indonesia’s ecosystems. The Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), Lampung Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Center (Karantina) in collaboration with Flight: Protecting Indonesia’s Birds, intercepted a bus carrying hundreds of wild birds that were to be smuggled through Bakauheni Port.

“During an inspection at Bakauheni on Friday (May 16) around 3:15 PM local time, Quarantine and Flight officers checked the luggage of passengers on a suspicious bus with license plate BA. The joint team discovered several boxes containing birds of various species,” said Head of Lampung Quarantine, Donni Muksydayan, in a press release in Lampung on Saturday (May 17).

During document inspection, Donni further explained, the driver and conductor failed to present the required documents. In accordance with Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, transporting wildlife must be accompanied by the required documents such as a veterinary certificate, a domestic plant and wildlife transport permit (SATS-DN), and a quarantine certificate.

“The vehicle and all evidence were then directed to the Lampung Quarantine Office, Bakauheni Port Service Unit (Satpel) for further examination and animal identification. The inspection recorded a total of 668 birds, consisting of 47 protected species and 621 non-protected species,” Donni added.

He detailed the protected bird species — as per Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 106 of 2018 concerning Protected Plant and Animal Species — that were secured: 16 Sumatran leafbirds (Chloropsis venusta), 4 lesser green leafbirds (Chloropsis cyanopogon), 2 blue-winged leafbirds (Chloropsis cochinchinensis), 4 scarlet minivets (Pericrocotus flammeus), 18 blue-rumped parrots (Psittinus cyanurus), and 3 long-tailed parrots (Tanygnathus megalorynchos).

“Meanwhile, the non-protected birds that were also secured included: 200 black-winged starlings, 24 mandarin laughingthrushes, 3 black laughingthrushes, 3 greater flamebacks, 354 Zosterops birds, 5 common tailorbirds, 1 black drongo, 10 sunbirds, 6 Asian fairy-bluebirds, and 15 white-crowned forktails,” he explained.

This recurring illegal transport practice not only threatens animal populations in their natural habitats but also poses risks of spreading diseases between regions, endangering both animals and humans.

According to preliminary information, the birds were collected from roadside areas in Jambi and were intended to be delivered to Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta. Due to this violation, all animals have been secured for legal processing and quarantine actions in accordance with applicable regulations. Authorities have also detained those involved in the smuggling attempt.