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Ministry arrests man for trafficking orangutans
A 34-year-old man from West Kalimantan has been arrested for allegedly trafficking two orangutans worth Rp 27 million (US$1,737).
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Wildlife care: A technician gives honey to a male orangutan called Beni on March 7, 2023, at the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary Center, located near the new capital city of Nusantara currently under development in Sepaku, East Kalimantan.
(Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
T
he authorities have arrested a man from Melawi regency, West Kalimantan, for allegedly trafficking two orangutans for Rp 27 million (US$1,737).
The Environment and Forestry Ministry’s Law Enforcement Director General Rasio Ridho Sani said the suspect, identified as 34-year-old man MA, was arrested while conducting a transaction in Nanga Pinoh, the administrative seat of Melawi regency.
“The ministry’s law enforcement investigators are investigating the orangutan trafficking network and the possible connections to illegal wildlife trade abroad,” Rasio said in a written statement on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com.
MA was caught in a sting operation after he advertised the orangutans openly on Facebook, where the ministry’s cyber team, posing as buyers, contacted him.
During the investigation and search process, authorities discovered a kukang (Sunda slow loris) that MA intended to sell.
"The communication took quite some time because the suspect was cautious and did not accept offers indiscriminately and the suspect has experience in trading wildlife," Rasio said.
Rasio disclosed that the suspect had been trading wildlife for two years, with a secrecy level similar to drug trafficking.
He added that MA's arrest was vital to disrupting the illegal trade of protected plants and animals.
"Orangutans are of global importance and losing them would be a major loss for our nation," Rasio said.
MA is currently being held at a detention center in Pontianak.
He is charged with violating Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems, with a potential penalty of five years in prison and a Rp 3.5 billion fine.
