One of the poachers involved in the recent killing of a critically endangered Sumatran tiger inside Jambi’s Rimbo Zoo has been arrested.
Last month, when Sheila the tiger was poisoned and then skinned inside her enclosure, authorities feared the incident was a horrifying new development in the illegal trade in tiger skin and body parts.
Tragically, they were correct: Now that one of the men who killed Sheila has been arrested, police questioning has revealed that the murder was financed by a Palembang “businessman.”
According to The Jakarta Post, Udin Bolu, known as a “thug” who had been in jail several times, was arrested at his residence in the Muarajambi Regency, Palembang, South Sumatra.
Udin claimed that he received an “order” for a tiger skin from a Palembang buyer. Once Sheila was killed and skinned, Udin reportedly took the skin and “valuable” organs and bones to a broker in Palembang.
Udin sold Shelia’s skin, organs, and bone for Rp 1 million (approximately $20,400 USD).
Aswini Nawawi, senior police officer, stated that his team plans to take Udin to the murder scene to “try and piece together some of the events.”
Police are working to unwind a potential syndicate of poachers and buyers, although their efforts have been hampered by not knowing the identity of the broker who paid Udin. The illegal trade in tiger skin and body parts is fueled by the demand in China, where superstitions about the “powers” of tiger parts are rampant.
Udin faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail under Article 40 of the 1990 law on the conservation of natural resources. He may also be charged under Article 363 of the Criminal Code regarding theft.
Let’s hope this guy is convicted – and that his arrest leads to the convictions of all of those involved with this shameful crime.
(Am I the only one who thinks five years in jail is not long enough for this murderer?)
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianscott/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
Glad to hear they’ve caught this scumbag! Goes to show that even in the “3rd world” many value wild animals.
Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America’s Best Zoos
Five years doesn’t even begin to cover the poisoning never mind everything else! I hope they are going for the ‘person’ (and I use that term very loosely) that ordered it to be done.