PROFAUNA Appreciates Internal Affairs Minister’s Wildlife Collection Turn Over
PROFAUNA Indonesia's chairman, Rosek Nursahid, expressed the NGO's appreciation for the Internal Affairs Minister's wise move to turn over his collection of stuffed wild animals to the Nature Conservation Agency of Jakarta and Central Java on Monday (15/2). The submission was a response to public protest on the ministry's illegal possessions.
Previously, Rosek Nursahid deplored the fact that there is a government officials who exhibit his collection of stuffed protected species. Minister Tjahjo Kumolo's illegal collection was shown during a national television program last Friday (12/2).
Rosek worries that television programs showing government officials who owns wild animals could be taken as a bad example by viewers and it is likely that they will follow.
"This is very shameful, and we are highly aware that there is a chance that the public could take it as something interesting," said Rosek.
He emphasizes that a hobby of collecting wildlife either alive, dead, or just the body parts among government officials and authorities no secret. Information and reports received by PROFAUNA often contains wildlife possessions by government officials. Ironically, in most cases the officials walk free without any penalty or fines at all; meanwhile, the law clearly states that anyone is prohibited to keep protected wildlife species without legal permit. "I am sure that there are more of those officials out there, though in this case only the Internal Affairs Minister's is being exposed," added him.
The Internal Affairs Minister, Tjahjo Kumolo, turned over his entire stuffed wildlife collection to the Nature Conservation Agency of Jakarta and Central Java on Monday (15/2). On the occasion, the minister stated that he has sent a letter on 15 February 2016 addressed to the Head of Nature Conservation Agency, copied to Joko Widodo (President of Indonesia) and Siti Nurbaya (Environment and Forestry Minister). He also said that he would wilfully relinquish his possessions to the concerning authority.
Among his collection, one stuffed tiger was placed in his parents' house in Semarang, and has been handed over to the local Nature Conservation Agency. The other five stuffed tigers and two stuffed sunbears were handed over to the Nature Conservation Agency of Jakarta. All of those stuff, said Tjahjo, he bought from a friend.
This case went viral after Tjahjo Kumolo showed his collection during a talk show in a national television. He meant to explain how he has kept and taken care of his precious collection. Things started to heat up when his act got strongly criticized by the public and environmental activists. "There has been a lot of suggestion for me to hand over my collection to the authority because those are protected wildlife species, and basically I don't mind," added Tjahjo.
The Nature Conservation Agency plans to donate the minister's collection to scientific bodies and museums exclusively for education and scientific purpose.
Not only PROFAUNA who responded to the minister's measure, but also Scorpion Wildlife Monitoring Group. "We think that the minister's move should be appreciated. We have been informed that those collection was obtained from his friend and also from his parents," said Scorpion's investigator, Marison Guciano.
In total, there were eight stuffed animals turned over by Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, consisted of five stuffed Sumatran Tigers, one stuffed Leopard Cat, and two stuffed Sunbears. The handover was delegated to the minister's secretary, Fanny Panjaitan, at the headquarters of the Nature Conservation Agency of Jakarta. (jal)
Source: Kominfo Jatim