But their punishment ignited further outrage.

Environmental activists have condemned Acehnese authorities for resorting to extrajudicial measures and handing down light sanctions on the boys —merely asking them to recite the adzan (Islamic call to prayer) for a month as community service.

High school students Ade Irfanta Sitepu, 17, and Salinsyah Solin, 16, residents of Sultan Daulat subdistrict in Subulussalam, Aceh, were accused of shooting Hope in March in one of the worst cases of animal cruelty in the country.

Hope underwent veterinary treatment and is recovering, although she still has 64 “nonfatal” pellets in her body.

Much to the dismay of environmental activists, local authorities decided to settle the case out of court.

Representatives of the Aceh Police, the Subulassalam Social Affairs Agency, the Singkil correctional center and other relevant officials decided at a meeting on June 29 that the two teenagers were guilty of shooting Hope and would be punished with community service.

The community service includes reciting the Maghrib and Isya prayers for a month at a mosque in Bunga Tanjung village, Subulussalam, under the supervision of officials from the local community center and the village administration.

The formal decision also states that the two are required to clean the mosque, admit their wrongdoing and apologize to the affected parties. It also says the two must redo the monthlong community service should they fail to complete it.

The head of the Sumatra Lestari Orangutan Foundation (YOSL-OIC), Panut Hadisiswoyo, has called on the authorities to revoke their decision, which he feared could serve as a bad precedent for other wildlife and forest crimes.

He added that the decision could prompt adults to use children as a surrogate to hunt down orangutans, assuming that the children would receive only light punishment.

“We are urging the National Police chief to hand over the Hope shooting case to the Attorney General’s Office, so that the juvenile justice system can be applied,” Panut said, stressing that the juvenile court should be responsible for deciding whether diversion from court could be applied to environmental crimes.

He added that the police should also ban the use of air rifles for all purposes other than sports and animal rescue programs.

Veterinarian Yenny Saraswati, who has been treating Hope at the Batu Mbelin Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, also expressed disappointment.

Yenny said the shooting had left Hope permanently blind and, as a result, she could never be released back into her natural habitat.

“The decision is shocking, but I’ll leave it to the authorities to handle the case, as I want to focus on Hope’s condition,” said Yenny.

She said Hope’s condition had seen gradual improvement, even though only 10 air rifle pellets had been removed from her body. Most of the remaining 64 pellets were lodged in delicate muscle tissue, and removing them could cause infection and further damage Hope’s already weakened health.

Residents found the severely wounded great ape and her 1-year-old baby at an oil palm plantation in Bunga Tanjung village and transported them to the orangutan rehabilitation center. Hope survived after multiple surgery, but her baby has died of malnutrition. (ars)

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