University Student Got Busted for Selling Eagle in Malang

The Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of Malang, east Java arrested Ahmad Nurcholis (20) during a sting operation for selling a protected wildlife species in Merjosari, Malang on Thurday (2/6/2016). From him, officials confiscated a Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela).

The offender put an offer of two eagles on his Facebook account, 'Holis Rase', on 31 May 2016. However, the illicit act got busted by the authority before it could get any further.

Ironically, the offender who came from Probolinggo is registered as a student in the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Islamic University of Malang. To the officers, Nurcholis admitted that it was his first time selling eagle, while he usually traded civets.

"Today, when most wildlife trade is done online, the consumer is more widespread including younger people. Even the dealers are of younger age today, like university students. This is very alarming," said Dwi Derma, PROFAUNA Indonesia's campaign officer.

"All eagle species are protected by law, therefore they are strongly forbidden to be traded. Offenders are liable to a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and IDR 100 million fines," mentioned Kuat Gunawan, the Head of Nature Conservation Agency of Malang.

For the purpose of further investigation, the offender and evidence has been submitted to the Nature Conservation Agency of East Java in Surabaya. It seems pretty clear that the offender is facing a bleak future because if the court sentenced him with prison, he will be certainly expelled from the university.