Thousands of Songbirds Failed to Be Smuggled in Banyuwangi, Suspected to Come from Lombok and Bali

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ketapang Quarantine Service Unit in Indonesia thwarted an attempt to a large number of songbirds. The disclosure took place at Tanjung Wangi Port, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java, on Saturday night, February 1, 2025. The birds are suspected of coming from Lombok and Bali.

The songbirds were transported using a truck with the police number DK originating from Bali Province. The Head of the Ketapang Quarantine Service Unit Fitri Hidayat said that attempts to smuggle songbirds through Banyuwangi had occurred repeatedly.

"Yes, this is a repeated incident," said Fitri when contacted, Sunday, February 2, 2025. Fitri said that the initial information about the truck transporting songbirds first came from local residents.

_{(Picture above) Ketapang Quarantine Service Unit thwarted an attempt to smuggle songbirds suspected of coming from Lombok and Bali in large numbers in Banyuwangi, East Java, February 1, 2025. Doc. Flight Indonesia Foundation.}

The information was then traced by the police from the Tanjung Wangi Port Security Implementation Unit (KP3). The police arrested two perpetrators who acted as the driver and conductor.

Fitri could not yet confirm how many songbirds were supposed to be smuggled. Currently, she said, the East Java Conservation and Natural Resources Agency (BKSDA) is identifying the types and counting the number. "We are still investigating that. BKSDA has just come and now we want to process it," she said.

Flight Indonesia, a non-profit organization that focuses on protecting wild birds, is also monitoring the prevention of smuggling of songbirds. "We received reports from two of our members in Banyuwangi, and the number is indeed large," said Flight Indonesia Executive Director Marison Guciano when contacted, Sunday, February 2, 2025.

Marison estimated that the number of songbirds that failed to be smuggled was eight to 10 thousand. So far, said Marison, Banyuwangi has been the gateway for bird smuggling to be distributed in Java.

"Through Ketapang, it is still very much, in a week it can be revealed three times. Of course, there are even more that get through," he said.

Marison said that wildlife smuggling practices are interrelated with the illegal capture process. "These birds are smuggled, there are no health certificates, health certificates from the quarantine of origin," he said.

In addition to violating quarantine regulations, songbirds are illegal because they are captured outside the procedures determined by the government. Marison said that wildlife may actually be traded as long as they comply with the rules.

Provisions regarding this have been regulated through the Decree of the Minister of Forestry Number 447 concerning the Administration of the Taking or Capturing and Distribution of Wild Plants and Animals. This regulation stipulates that animals taken in nature must meet a number of requirements.

Some of the requirements include obtaining permission from the relevant agency, must comply with the capture quota and be taken in the capture area determined by the Conservation Center. However, said Marison, these provisions are often violated.

The capture of songbirds in nature is carried out massively and without supervision. He said that in the last five years, around 300 thousand songbirds were confiscated from illegal trade in Indonesia

“When taken in large numbers and , this is definitely illegal and violates regulations. This means that the BKSDA where these songbirds come from has failed to carry out its duties,” said Marison.

Editor's Choice:

 to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News