One of the two confiscated tiger trophies. (Credit: WCS)
Nov. 6, 2013 — The Wildlife
Conservation Society congratulates a military court in the Indonesian
town of Takengon in Aceh Province for recently handing down fines and
jail time to two wildlife traffickers convicted of possessing a pair of
stuffed Sumatran tigers and one stuffed sun bear. The suspects were
arrested by Takengon's military police after a three-month
investigation.
The convictions mark the first successful prosecutions of wildlife
crimes in Aceh Province, and only the second such crimes prosecuted by
an Indonesian military court.
The two defendants were sentenced to two and three months in prison respectively and fines up to $454. Conservationists praise the sentencing as a major victory in a province where organized poaching is on the rise and any conviction of a wildlife crime is rare.
WCS encourages the leaders of the Indonesian military to continue to improve efforts to tackle wildlife crimes within their ranks, and to continue this investigation while considering an increase in the severity of the punishments.
"While the sentences may seem relatively small, they clearly send a message that Indonesia is getting increasingly serious about prosecuting about wildlife crime," said Joe Walston, WCS Executive Director of Asia Programs. "We commend Indonesia's military police for protecting the nation's natural heritage."
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered with an estimated 400 existing in the wild. Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade remains their largest threat.
The two defendants were sentenced to two and three months in prison respectively and fines up to $454. Conservationists praise the sentencing as a major victory in a province where organized poaching is on the rise and any conviction of a wildlife crime is rare.
WCS encourages the leaders of the Indonesian military to continue to improve efforts to tackle wildlife crimes within their ranks, and to continue this investigation while considering an increase in the severity of the punishments.
"While the sentences may seem relatively small, they clearly send a message that Indonesia is getting increasingly serious about prosecuting about wildlife crime," said Joe Walston, WCS Executive Director of Asia Programs. "We commend Indonesia's military police for protecting the nation's natural heritage."
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered with an estimated 400 existing in the wild. Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade remains their largest threat.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Wildlife Conservation Society (2013, November 6). Wildlife traffickers sentenced in Indonesia. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2013/11/131106201848.htm
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