Illegal pets: A stock illustration showing Javan porcupines, similiar to what Sukena is accused of keeping in his home. — Shuttershock
LACK of public education about the environment and animal conservation here has resulted in jail time for unsuspecting pet owners who are unaware that they have been illegally keeping protected animals as pets for years.
Last week, a resident of Badung regency in Bali named I Nyoman Sukena broke down in tears after prosecutors demanded a five-year prison sentence for him for keeping four Javan porcupines (Hystrix javanica) in his home.
The Javan porcupine is a species of Old World porcupine that is endemic to Indonesia. Its population has been dwindling over the years and in 2018, the Environmental and Forestry Ministry classified it as a protected species.
During his trial at Denpasar District Court, Sukena insisted that he was not aware that the animal was protected.
The 38-year-old said his father-in-law gave him two Javan porcupines five years ago after catching them destroying his crops.
Sukena then kept them as pets and the animals eventually gave birth to two others.
The Bali Police showed up at Nyoman’s house and confiscated the porcupines on Mar 4 after receiving reports from local residents. He was eventually arrested for violating Article 21 of the 1990 Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Law.
Videos of Sukena crying after his trial last week made rounds on social media, sparking a backlash from the public who argued that he was punished “too harshly” for simply unknowingly taking care of a protected species.
Several people filed a motion to the district court to suspend Sukena’s detention and on Thursday, he was released under house arrest.
Sukena is not the only person who is facing jail time for inadvertently keeping prohibited animals as pets.
Piyono, a 61-year-old man from Malang, East Java, was sentenced to five months in prison on Monday for keeping five alligator gars in his fishing pond. The alligator gar is a carnivorous mega fish that is native to North America.
Indonesia bans the trade, possession and release of the fish into the wild since it is considered invasive outside of its original habitat. Alligator gars are top predators that can cause problems in non-native habitats by preying on native species including fish, small mammals, turtles and sea fowl, eventually disrupting the ecosystem.
Piyono said that he bought the fish in 2008, having zero idea that it was illegal since the fish were readily available in a lot of pet stores in Malang. Malang District Court found him guilty of violating Article 88 of the 2024 Fisheries Law.
Many have criticised Piyono’s five-month sentence, arguing that it was unfair since no pet store owners who sold alligator gars have been arrested by authorities so far. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
