TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Russian accused of trying to smuggle drugged orangutan from Bali
Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said the orangutan had been drugged and placed in a basket.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A 2-year-old orangutan was drugged by a Russian national accused of trying to smuggle the protected animal from Bali to Russia. (Denpasar Quarantine office/Handout)
Q
uarantine officials at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali have thwarted a Russian national’s attempt to smuggle a 2-year-old orangutan to Russia.
Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said the orangutan had been drugged and placed in a basket.
"The Russian deliberately used an inhumane method to take the orangutan to Russia," the official said on Saturday.
The Russian has been identified as ZA.
The quarantine officer and airport security found the orangutan at the international departure area at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Dewa said. "At first, we thought it was a monkey. The officers were afraid to open the basket, as they thought the monkey would be aggressive and run loose in the departure area.”
The basket was then taken to a room for further examination.
"When it was taken to the examination room and we opened it, we were shocked to find an orangutan," he said.
ZA claimed to have bought the orangutan for $US 3,000. The orangutan had been drugged, causing it to lose consciousness for two to three hours.
"The Russian also had injections and drugs in his bag. He said he planned to re-administer the drugs when they transited in Korea," Dewa added.
The officer also found two geckos and five lizards in the Russian's suitcase.
The case has been reported to the airport police for further investigation. The orangutan has been handed over to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency ( BKSDA) to receive treatment.
