Indonesian tiger smuggler could escape with light sentence

Light sentence is no deterrent
October 2011. The trial of a tiger skin smuggler on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has resulted in an immediate response from WWF and its partners after the prosecutor in the case recommended a very light sentence.

The smuggler was caught in West Sumatra in March 2011 with a tiger skin he purchased for US$3,000. Under current Indonesian law, the suspect could receive a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a IDR$100 million rupiah fine (US$11,200), but the prosecutor has recommend a mere three years imprisonment and an IDR$3 million (US$335) fine.

Retno Setiyaningrum, Legal and Policy Senior Officer for WWF-Indonesia, stated that while WWF applauds the efforts of law enforcement officers in the case, the prosecution's requested penalty is too low.

"Since 2004, punishments in illegal poaching cases have not been a deterrent," said Retno. "Just in 2009, judges in Riau Province gave punishment of only one year imprisonment and a fine of two million rupiahs for two poachers who killed three Sumatran tigers."

WWF supporters and celebrities have joined the call for the judge in the current case to impose stricter punishment on the perpetrator, following an earlier call to hand down a maximum sentence to the tiger smuggler.

"The Sumatran tiger is part of Indonesia's national identity," said Indonesian musician Nugie. "The illegal wildlife trade is a loss for the entire country, and maximum punishment in this case can set an example that the government is serious about law enforcement and tiger poaching," he added.

WWF-Indonesia Tiger Protection Unit Coordinator Osmantri stated that investigations of tiger poaching must touch the entire chain of the problem, from hunters to smugglers to consumers:

High levels of poaching
"The level of Sumatran tiger poaching, especially in Riau and West Sumatra Provinces, is heavily threatening the wild tiger population," said Osmantri. "Illegal poaching and trade involves a complex and extensive network, with law enforcement only partially having any impact. Today, we still consider this current poacher at large."

West Sumatra, where the current case originated, has one of the highest tiger populations on the island. There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers left, out of a total of only 3,200 and five other other subspecies, which are scattered in small pockets across Asia.

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