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Joining hands with Facebook, Instagram, Indonesia aims to crack down on illegal wildlife trade
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In this photograph taken on May 16, 2017, an Indonesian customs officer displays a reptile at the customs offices near Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. A Japanese man believed to be a major wildlife smuggler was detained for allegedly trying to take hundreds of reptiles out of the country.
(AFP/-)
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ndonesia has joined hands with tech giants Facebook and Instagram to beef up social media surveillance of illegal animal trading, as the government attempts to protect endangered species in the country.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry’s director general of Natural Resource and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE), Wiratno, said illegal wildlife trading was often discovered on social networking platforms.
Traders and would-be buyers often communicate via social media accounts and therefore it is necessary to take action to crack down on rampant animal trafficking, he said.
“We have asked [Facebook and Instagram] to shut down the accounts,” Wiratno told The Jakarta Post during an event in Batam, Riau Islands.
Among the cases that have been facilitated by social media platforms is the recent discovery of the illegal trading of baby Komodo dragons in East Java, in which the perpetrators allegedly advertised the endangered species through Facebook accounts.
The East Java Police apprehended the suspects in March after they attempted to smuggle at least 41 Komodo dragons out of the country and sell them for Rp 500 million (US$35,000) each.
Komodo dragons are among the most endangered species in the world and the animals live and are protected in the Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
