Indonesia: Poacher Fined Rp 3m for Rp 25m Tiger Skin

Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 6 Oct 11;

Environmental activists have derided the justice system as ineffectual in protecting the country’s most recognizable threatened species, the Sumatran tiger, after prosecutors demanded just Rp 3 million ($340) in fines in a poaching case.

In a rare case of an endangered species trader actually ending up before a judge, the suspect was caught red-handed with a Sumatran tiger skin in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra, in March.

The trader is thought to be a “big fish” in the illegal trade, buying skins from poachers and selling them on to wealthy buyers, possibly overseas.

Sumatran tigers are considered a subspecies, genetically distinct from mainland tiger populations due to around 12,000 years of isolation after the Holocene sea level rose. There are estimated to be less than 400 individuals surviving in the wild, while two more subspecies have already become extinct, the Bali tiger in the 1950s and the Javan tiger in the 1970s.

Activists say a larger fine is needed to provide a deterrent against poaching of the endangered species.

“In the Payakumbuh case, the trader purchased the tiger skin for Rp 25 million in cash, while the sentencing demand was just Rp 3 million. Meanwhile, he was planning to sell the skin on for Rp 150 million. A fine of just Rp 3 million is a joke for someone like him,” said Retno Setiyaningrum, a legal and policy officer for conservation organization WWF Indonesia.

Retno asked whether the justice system was serious about defending the interests of wildlife in Indonesia.

“The issue is seen only from a human perspective. For example, ‘This man is old and has to provide a living for his family, so don’t sentence him very hard.’ Meanwhile, the speed at which the Sumatran tiger is headed for extinction isn’t taken into account, so there’s no deterrent effect,” she said on Thursday.

Retno added that the law allowed for fines of up to Rp 100 million and prison sentences of up to five years. The prosecution in the Payakumbuh case requested a prison term of three years.

“Concern for tigers does not mean disregard for people. That’s a misunderstanding,” WWF species specialist Sunarto said.

“Everything is interconnected. Protecting tigers means caring about the sustainability of humanity as well,” said Sunarto, who has been studying Sumatran tigers since 2004.

Another WWF staffer, Osmantri, gave examples from Riau, which contains much of the remaining tiger habitat.

“From 2001 to 2011, there were five arrests made for trade in Sumatran tigers in Riau province, but only one made it to court,” Osmantri said.

From 2005 to 2010, at least 40 tigers were known to have been killed in the province.