Sun bears at Kayan Mentarang National Park face threats from poachers. A canine from an adult sun bear fetches up to Rp 5 million. Credit – (JG Photo)
MALINAU, EAST KALIMANTAN: Officials have warned about the continued poaching of endangered species in the Kayan Mentarang National Park in Malinau district, spurred by rising overseas demand for exotic animals and their parts, Jakarta Globe reported news.
Helmi, the head of the park authority, said on Sunday that poachers were taking advantage of the scarcity of rangers to breach the park perimeter, shoot or capture the animals they wanted, then sneak back out undetected.
“It’s difficult to catch them because they tend to hide out in the villages on the edge of the park,” he said. “Most of the time it’s not the villagers doing the poaching, but outsiders.”
He said the poachers’ most common targets were the various types of hornbills found in the park, which if killed and stuffed, could retail for Rp 7 million ($720) a head.
The hornbills’ beaks are also sought after for use in traditional Chinese medicine, as is the bile of the sun bear, known as the honey bear, which is also found in Kayan Mentarang.
Poachers also remove the canine teeth and claws from the sun bears, classified as a vulnerable species, to sell as souvenirs. A single canine from an adult sun bear can fetch up to Rp 5 million.
The Sunda pangolin, a scaly anteater, is also a common target, with its scales and flesh used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Officials recently arrested four Chinese nationals for trying to smuggle pangolin and hornbill parts out of the country, believed to have been poached from Kalimantan. One of the suspects admitted to buying the endangered animals for just Rp 700 per kilogram.
Since 2010, Indonesian officials have seized 28.5 tons of dead pangolins destined for places such as China, Vietnam and Taiwan, where people believe the meat has healing powers, according to the Forestry Ministry.
Helmi said park rangers were now working with police to set up monitoring posts at sites known to be frequented by poachers, and were increasing the frequency of their patrols with the help of local villagers.
The 13,605-square-kilometer park is located on the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, and forms a key part of the Heart of Borneo area, a 220,000-square-kilometer zone in which the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have committed to conservation and sustainable forest development.
The park is home to 84 mammal species, 319 bird species and 26 reptile species, as well as hundreds of types of plants.