Another victory for conservationists in the fight against illegal animal trafficking this Monday, when 14 endangered eagles were rescued from the possession of man attempting to sell these rare birds on Facebook. A Cyber Crimes unit was able to coerce the man into action, before arresting him for exploiting the endangered eagles and other endangered bird species for profit.
Charges against the man in question for attempting to sell very rare endangered eagles and birds.
Harsh penalties await the man if convicted of trafficking these endangered eagles. The bird trade was attempted to be executed by the man known online by only his initials “Pas” according to Director of Investigations and Special Crimes, East Java Police Commisioner M. Nurramahn, who commented, “the trade was carried out by the suspect known by his initials is Pas. After buying the birds from hunters, he sold them on Facebook.”
If convicted the suspect could spend up to five years in prison for his crimes. He would be charged under act 5/1990 which was created in order to allow Governments to maintain laws concerning their own environmental factors, “Act No. 5/1990, on Conservation of Living Resources and Their Ecosystems, aims to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources to support human welfare and quality of life. It regulates the preservation and conservation of flora and fauna, ecosystems, conservation areas, the sustainable use of natural resources, and describes the investigation process, penalties, and sanctions for crimes established in the act.”
The birds that were seized by authorities.
Among the birds rescued were one crested hawk eagle, two eaglets, six spotted kestrals, one Javan hawk eagle, and two dead sea eagles. While it is unfortunate that these birds lived the beginning of their lives trapped in cages waiting to be sold, thanks to the efforts of conservationists and authorities, they can look forward to long lives. Most likely the animals will be taken to a rehabilitation facility where they will be given treatment, after which they can someday be released into the wild. If the birds are not healthy enough to return to the wild, they will be kept safe in captivity for the duration of their lives.
