Sustyo Iriyono, Director of Forest Prevention and Security Affairs, Environment and Forestry Ministry: Smuggling Done Through Small Ports
Even though a five-year prison sentence awaits anyone who hunts and trades the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), many still risk breaking the law.
From 2015-2019, the directorate-general of law enforcement at the environment and forestry ministry thwarted 13 sales of the pangolin, collecting 67 kilograms of its scales as evidence, along with 1,840 dead specimens of the animal, and another 17 still alive.
Most recently, last June, a team from the environment ministry, together with the police, arrested Kabul, a dealer who had 28 kilograms of pangolin scales in Semarang, Central Java. Those scales were to be smuggled to China over the Kalimantan-Malaysian border. In China, those scales are used as an ingredient in making traditional remedies. “Many use it to make psychotropic medication,” said Director of Forest Prevention and Security Affairs Sustyo Iriyono to Tempo on June 13.
The highest demand comes from abroad, such as China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Sometimes Hong Kong and Vietnam are only transit countries. They forward the goods to China. Countries like Indonesia are only for sourcing.
Why is it illegal to hunt the Sunda pangolin?
That animal is found on Appendix 1 of the CITES list (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). That international convention bans the trade of the Sunda pangolin. In Indonesia, it is an animal which is protected by the state because it maintains the balance of the ecosystem.
Why is it still hunted?
Demand is high. It is used for food. In China, some believe that its meat is good for health. Some process it for use in traditional and psychotropic medications. Its scales contain tramadol HCl, a compound which interacts with amphetamines. This is what makes it expensive.
What is its price at each level of the supply chain?
Pangolin meat at the middleman level sells for US$1,200 per kilogram, and its scales for US$3,000 per kilogram. However, presently, some importing countries, such as Hong Kong, have started campaigns to stop eating the meat of protected animals. The campaign strategies have been rather effective. Many restaurants which usually sell those types of animals have begun to lose money due to decreasing demand.
Who hunts the animal?
Syndicates operating in Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. They hunt on a massive scale during the transition from the rainy season to the dry season. This is when leaves start to fall, inviting ants to swarm. This is when the animal comes out of its den. However, as a commodity from Indonesia it is not very competitive in the international market. Buyers prefer the ones from Africa because they are larger.
Where are the buyers from?
The highest demand comes from abroad, such as China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Sometimes Hong Kong and Vietnam are only transit countries. They forward the goods to China. Countries like Indonesia are only for sourcing.
How does the syndicate operate?
Their operation is well-organized. We refer to it as an ‘MM’ system, for hunting (memburu) and holding (menampung). Hunters usually involve villagers. They sell their catches to brokers in small towns, which are handed over to brokers in cities. The exit points being watched are major ports, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, and Medan.
How can the animals be sent out of the country so easily?
In the past smugglers used cargo planes. After this was discovered, they began altering the manifests of shipping containers. The pangolins are hidden among export commodities such as dried squid and fish. Some evade detection by going through small ports, where fishing boats are involved.