Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The office of Animal Conservation for Life (KSBK) has reported
that some members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) are involved in
the transportation of hundreds of protected birds including
parrots from Maluku and Papua provinces.
A recent investigation by KSBK disclosed that tens of thousands
of parrots had been poached from Maluku and Papua and transported
to Java and Bali islands, some with the help of Navy warships.
According to KSBK's video records, hundreds of parrots were
seen on board TNI warship Teluk Manado No. 537. A source at
KSBK, said the birds were being sent to Java and Bali islands. The
recording was made in May 2001.
The video, entitled Fly Without Wings, is the report on
the results of an investigation conducted by KSBK on parrot trade
between January 2001 and May 2002.
The screening of the video, produced in VCD and VHS formats, is
part of the organization's campaign to stop the poaching of
parrots and other birds in the wild.
The comprehensive investigation, funded by the Royal Society
for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), disclosed that tens
thousands of parrots from Maluku and Papua had been poached
cruelly.
The birds are usually trapped with tree gum. After the birds
are cleaned, the poachers clamp the birds' necks with branches of
the trees. Later on, the feathers of the trapped birds are pulled
out to prevent the birds from flying.
Among the poached birds are those categorized as endangered
species such as the yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea)
and the red and blue lory (Eos histrio).
Each of these endangered birds is sold for between Rp 300,000
(US$33) and Rp 500,000 at local bird markets.
According to the law on Conservation of Natural Resources and
the Ecosystem, trading of endangered and protected species is
strictly prohibited and those violating the law face a maximum of
five years in prison and a fine of Rp 100 million.
I Wayan Wiradnyana, head of KSBK's Bali office, said that
trading of parrots was very profitable.
"There are several bird suppliers that regularly deliver a
large number of rare birds from Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Papua to
several cities in Java and Bali as well as overseas
countries," he said in a statement.
To increase people's awareness of the importance of protecting
these rare birds, KSBK's Bali office held a campaign to attract
the attention of passersby in Bali by displaying a huge
parrot-like balloon in front of the busy Mall Bali on Jl.
Diponegoro in downtown Denpasar.
KSBK will also hold a series of campaigns and action plans
starting in the middle of July.
A Parrot Tour campaign will be held in several places including
Surabaya and Malang in East Java, Yogyakarta, Bogor and Bandung in
West Java, Jakarta and Denpasar in Bali, Papua and North Maluku
provinces, to show the conditions under which parrots are caught
and sold.
