This week Masarang’s Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue and Education Centre received almost one hundred protected animals from the Philippines. They were confiscated from the illegal trade and in accordance with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) returned to their country of origin. Our wildlife rescue centre is located close to the harbor of Bitung in North Sulawesi, which is one of the main smuggling routes for Indonesian wildlife besides Jakarta and Medan in North Sumatra. If we would not have centres like Tasikoki it would be very difficult to do law enforcement and bring back smuggled animals. Beneath here is the list of animals we received:
1. Large Fig Parrot (Psittaculirostris desmarestii) = 1
2. Black Lory (Chalcopsitta atra) = 3
3. Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) = 1
4. Black Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) = 12
5. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) = 40
6. Red Lory (Eos bornea) = 3
7. Papuan Hornbill (Rhytceros plicatus) = 7
8. Pesquet`s Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) = 1
9. Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory) = 11
10. Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus rotatus) = 8
11. Rainer Gunther’s Monitor (Varanus rainerguentheri) = 2
12. Blue Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei) = 1
13. Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus) = 3
14. Pinon`s Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon) = 1
15. Long-crested Myna (Basilornis corythaix) = 1
16. White-stripped Wallaby (Dorcopsis hogeni) = 4
Many of those animals come from the island of Papua. First of all we have to take care of them in the quarantine section of Tasikoki after the several days transport over sea from Davao in the Philippines. Then the work to bring them back to their natural habitat really begins. There are very few projects that can deal with these animals in Papua and we already have many Papuan birds in Tasikoki from earlier national confiscations.
Masarang Foundation has acquired the Salimburung Island in North Sulawesi where we will release a lot of the birds that are no longer capable to fly because their wing feathers had been clipped by the traders. On the 6 hectare large island that is free from rats and predators they hopefully can breed and their offspring returned to the wild in the future.
The Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue and Education Centre has an official cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry that is responsible for Indonesia’s wildlife. This is what director general Rasio Sani for law enforcement had to say with special mention of Masarang’s Tasikoki Centre in their official publication:
“Keberhasilan repatriasi ini atas kerjasama banyak pihak seperti Ditjen KSDAE KLHK, Kementerian Luar Negeri melalui perwakilan RI di Jenewa, Manila, Davao serta Direktorat Astara, Kementerian Keuangan (Ditjen Bea Cukai), Kementerian Pertanian (Badan Karantina Hewan dan Direktorat kesehatan Hewan), Pemerintah Kota Bitung, dan Yayasan Masarang (PPS Tasikoki)”
Beneath are some pictures of our staff preparing, receiving and taking care of the new arrivals from The Philippines:
Preparations for the upcoming arrival of the 91 animals on their way from The Philippines. Cages are sterilized, enrichment materials installed, palm leaves collected to reduce visibility between the enclosures to reduce stress, wild food collection, etc., etc.
The boat that brought the smuggled animals back to Indonesia. The many cages with animals were under a big cloth to protect them from the heat of the sun during the several day journey to the Bitung harbour in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
A picture of our Tasikoki staff together with the local forestry staff in front of the boat. On the left is the animal rescue manager Billy Lolowang and in black is our veterinarian doctor Anissa.
It takes a lot of work to fulfil all procedures of health, quarantine, import documents, etc.
Signing the official handover of the animals that have just been unloaded from the boat.
Finally the animals are on their way to Tasikoki. Because of the condition of Covid-19 and the wellbeing of the animals the official handover ceremony was limited to an unusual short 15 minutes only. Two birds however did suffer serious stress and one of those has died in the meantime.
Arrival of the convoy at Masarang’s Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue and Education Centre. The mist you see is to sterilize the cars so as not to bring in any diseases to the hundreds of rare animals in the centre.
Here a Papuan Wallaby, one of the 91 animals returned, entering his new temporary home with lots of green hiding places prepared by our staff.
Below some pictures of some of the many different animals that we are now taking care of in their new temporary facilities.
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