Four Tigers Discovered in Jakarta Home During Forestry Ministry Raid

Ulma Haryanto, Jakarta Globe 21 Feb 10;

Wildlife officials found a full-grown female tiger and three cubs along with other exotic animals during a raid on a house in Pondok Cabe Ilir, South Tang­erang, the second such discovery this month.

The big cats were seized along with a dozen rare cockatoos, two Timor deer and four birds of paradise, Awriya Ibrahim, director of forest protection at the Ministry of Forestry, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“We are very surprised by the findings. Further raids are planned and we have eight more people on our suspicious persons list,” he said.

The commander of the Forest Police Rapid Reaction Unit, A Riadh Sambati, said the homeowner, Henry Yukio Sujatim, was not in during the raid. “We are going to call him on Tuesday to come to our office. He could be sentenced to jail or fined because of this.”

For the time being, the animals are being cared for by the Natural Resources Agency in Gadog, Puncak. The tigers’ species is yet to be identified.

This month, officials discovered a two adult tigers that had been raised by Jakarta resident Kusbanu Hadisumarto over the past 25 years, along with three cubs.

The animals were thought to be Sumatran tigers, an endangered species that numbers only 400 in the wild.

Kusbanu, the father of actress Unique Priscilla, claimed the tigers were Bengal and came from the Taman Safari Indonesia wildlife park, prompting calls for an investigation of the park by the Ministry of Forestry.

According to the 1990 Law on Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, those found guilty of trafficking protected animals within Indonesia or abroad face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of Rp 100 million ($8,500).

In January, the Forestry Ministry revealed a controversial initiative to allow the rich to “adopt” captive tigers to help curb illegal hunting and trade. Under the plan, a pair of tigers could be “leased” for Rp 1 billion.

Darori, the Ministry of Forestry’s director general of forest protection and nature conservation, said the scheme would pair male and female tigers to increase their chances of breeding. The ministry has received complaints about the program from at least 12 environmental organizations.