Indonesian authorities foil plot to export endangered animals

Indonesian authorities announced on Friday that they had succeeded in preventing an attempt to smuggle endangered species to Malaysia.

Customs and Excise Officers in Dumai City, Riau Province, Indonesia, in collaboration with the army and police, seized two gibbons, 38 birds of paradise and several other rare bird species.

Customs and Excise officers detained four suspects.

According to the Head of Customs and Excise of Dumai, Fuad Fauzi, the suspects are suspected of belonging to a syndicate of smugglers of rare animals operating in eastern Indonesia as all the seized species are found in Papua and Sulawesi Island.

The seized animals were due to be released back into their natural habitat.