Govt proposes minimum 10-year prison terms for poachers

The government has shown its strong commitment to protect endangered species by proposing a minimum 10-year prison sentence for those who illegally hunt animals, says foreign minister.

“We have a law that carries a heavy punishment for those who violate forestry law,” Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Monday at the opening of the Global Tiger Initiative –World Bank conservation meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali.

Light sentencing has hampered the government in stopping poachers from hunting endangered animals such as the Sumatran tiger, Zulkifli said, as quoted by Antara.

“We previously only had a maximum of 10-year prison penalty,” he added.

Zulkifli said he hoped that the new law would reduce the threat to endangered species.