REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Environmental Organization Animal Indonesia uses social media to communicate and disseminate its message as part of its efforts to save protected wild animals from falling prey to illegal trade.
"Our drive targets youngsters and students, which is why we resort to social media platforms for campaigning," said Animal Indonesia's CEO, Suwarno, in Jakarta, on Monday.
He underlined that such social campaigning was important as illicit trade in wild animals was flourishing, threatening the lives of protected animals whose numbers have reached a critical level.
Data from the Directorate General for Law Enforcement Ministry of Environment and Forests showed that in 2015, 190 cases involved crimes connected to protected wild animals and plants.
Animal Indonesia's observations throughout 2015-2016 made it clear that trade worth 750 million Rupiahs thrived on protected animals such as eagles, primates and langurs. This data was released through Animal Indonesia's social media page.
Suwarno stated that efforts to protect wildlife face many problems, starting from cross-country criminal groups trading in these species, as also weak law enforcement.
Low risks and high profit act as temptation.
While Java is the ultimate destination for such illegal traders within Indonesia, traders also resort to smuggling the animals from Riau to Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam.
From these countries, animals are then carried to China, Taiwan and Thailand, or these can reach the Philippines through Kalimantan and Sulawesi.
"The networks are surreptitious, leave no trail and are rather hard to track," he explained.
Suwarno suggested enhanced monitoring and better surveillance of protected wildlife trade. He also emphasized that decent rehabilitation facilities were required for animals which are retrieved from such traders.
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