The Cenderawasih, also called the bird of paradise, was put for sale in a social media being highlighted recently.
Executive Secretary of Rumah Belajar Papua (RBP) Dian Yasmin Wasaraka said here on Monday that the authority should take prompt action on the ongoing Cenderawasih trade offer posted in social media by a Facebook account named Feronica Natalia Saman.
"This could be a test case for other similar cases on Cenderawasih trade through Facebook. I hope this matter would be handled soon," Wasaraka said.
Another activist, Adhiani, from World Wild Fund (WWF), said that more efforts should be taken to familiarize the importance of preserving the habitat of the Papuas iconic bird in the region to prevent illegal trade of the protected animal.
Such case has driven Fredy Wanda, an environment activist of Forum Peduli Port Numbay Green (FPPNG), to create a petition of Save Cenderawasih in Change.org.
In the petition, Wanda wrote that the population of Cenderawasih has been declining year by year due to poaching and a local tradition of giving the bird as a souvenir for important persons or guests.
Several photos in Feronicas Facebook account, showing a woman holding a hunting rifle and the captured birds, went viral that it was condemned by the environmental activists and netizens.
It was said in the Facebook account that the birds were hunted in Wanggar, Nabire District.
Meanwhile, Chief of Nabire Police Resort Office Adjunct Senior Commissioner Semmy Roni Thabaa, said that the local authority has conducted efforts in battling the illegal trade of Cenderawasih, especially the one which often takes place in MAF Beach, Nabire.
"However, many people do not know that the bird is protected," Thabaa said, especially those who live in the inland forest in Wanggar SP, which borders Kwatisore and Wasior.
The Police Chief also called on the local authority and the society to work together in familiarizing and preserving the existence of the Cenderawasih birds.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
