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Russian nabbed after foiled attempt to smuggle protected otters from Bali
A Russian man was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle four protected otters from Bali to Russia.
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I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport authorities in Bali foiled an attempt to smuggle four otters from Indonesia to Russia. (JP/Ni Komang Erviani)
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Russian national has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle four Eurasian otters from Bali to Russia on Thursday night. The 35-year-old suspect, identified only as RT, was found with the near-threatened mammals inside his luggage, as well as 10 scorpions.
RT was stopped at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport before he was able to board Korean Air flight KE 634 to Seoul, where he would be in transit before heading to Moscow. However, when his luggage passed through the X-ray scanner at the airport’s international departure gate, aviation security found something suspicious in his green suitcase.
“After a manual search, our aviation security found four living otters that were put inside the luggage,” said Ngurah Rai airport general manager Haruman Sulaksono on Friday.
The four otters were inside a rattan box inside the suitcase. Additionally, scorpions were found stuffed inside another box that was also in the suitcase.
Following the discovery, the aviation security officers immediately coordinated with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), which confirmed that the otters were protected under the Conservation Law.
The animals were immediately taken to the BKSDA office. A medical examination found that they were suffering from dehydration. To medically treat the otters, the BKSDA handed them over to Bali Safari and Marine Park.
BKSDA Bali office head Budhy Kurniawan said the otters were of the lutra lutra species. “There are many species of otter in Indonesia. This species of otter are protected by our Conservation Law,” Budhy said.
