TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Maluku Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), through the Tual KSDA Resort Officers, confiscated a total of 15 Sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) from the baggage of the KM Labobar ship passengers. The discovery began when officers of Pelni (state-owned national shipping company) checked the tickets and baggage of the passengers," said Maluku BKSDA Forest Police (Polhut), Arga Christyan in Ambon on Saturday, November 15, 2025.
During the inspection, officers found several suspicious boxes which turned out to contain cockatoos, a protected species. However, the owners of the birds were not found.
As a preventive measure, the officers conducted awareness campaigns among the passengers about the dangers and prohibitions regarding the circulation of protected plants and wildlife. Subsequently, all the birds were taken to the Tual KSDA Resort Transit Cage for observation and rehabilitation processes.Arga stated that health examinations were conducted to ensure the birds' condition remained stable before being released into their natural habitat. The Maluku BKSDA also coordinated with relevant agencies to investigate the possibility of wildlife smuggling networks utilizing the sea routes in the area.
The Maluku BKSDA reiterated its call to the public not to capture, keep, or trade protected wildlife in any form. Such actions violate Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning the Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems.
"Through this revelation, we hope that more people will realize the importance of the public's role in preventing wildlife smuggling and conserving biodiversity in Maluku," he said.
Separately, a joint team from KSKP Bakauheni, BKSDA, the Lampung Quarantine, and the Indonesian Wildlife Network (JSI) released a total of 458 birds into the forest in the foothills of Mount Rajabasa, South Lampung Regency today. The hundreds of birds were seized from illegal trade and were about to be smuggled off Sumatra Island through the Bakauheni Port.
Anggraini Puspa Wardhani, the Manager of the Sumatra Wildlife Center Jaringan Satwa Indonesia, stated that none of the released birds were protected species. "We hope that the released wildlife can restore its ecological function, help maintain the balance of nature, and support biodiversity in its original habitat," she said.
KSKP Bakauheni Police Chief, Adjunct Commissioner Ferdo Elfianto, stated that the confiscation took place at the Seaport Interdiction area of the Bakauheni Port on Friday night. The birds were placed in stacked baskets at the rear end of a bus headed for Jakarta.
Ferdo explained that the wild birds were found to be transported without proper documentation. "According to the driver's confession, the birds were transported from Bandar Jaya, Central Lampung, destined for Jakarta," he said.
The bird species included ciblek, tepus abu, poksai, red-billed parrot, cerucuk bird, konin, Asian shama, tali pocong, java sparrow, and mountain white-eye. "We directly handed them over to the Lampung Quarantine for further action," he added.
He further mentioned that illegal wildlife trade is still rampant, and the Bakauheni Ferry Port is the main gateway for the illegal circulation of wildlife to Java Island.