The traders, identified as BT, TW, and AS, were arrested from Pringsewu district, Lampung province, on Wednesday evening. They are residents of the province, Lampung police spokesperson, Sen.Coms.Zahwani Pandra Arsyad, said here on Thursday.
The tusks seized from them measure 59 centimeters and 56 cm in length and weigh 96.2 grams and 94.2 grams, he informed.
Police have charged the traders under Articles 21 and 40 of the Indonesian Conservation Law No.5/1990. If found guilty, they face a jail term of five years and a fine of Rp100 million.
The Indonesian government has listed Sumatran elephants among the critically-endangered mammals in the country.
The population of Sumatran elephants is estimated to be about 2,400 - 2,800 individuals, according to figures published on the official website of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The world's leading organization on wildlife conservation and endangered species has pointed out that ivory can still be found in markets around Africa and Asia, and even in the United States and Europe.
WWF has also noted that poaching for illegal ivory trade remains a serious threat to the lives of wild elephants in many countries.
"African elephants declined in massive numbers in the 1970s and 1980s because of poaching for illegal ivory trade. So, international trade was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1989," the WWF has stated on its website.
It has also said that "some elephant populations have begun to recover, but poaching continues to be a problem in many areas”.
The Journal of African Elephants had published a report on July 9 this year stating ivory trade was rife on social media platforms in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to the report, Indonesia and Vietnam lack adequate legislation to curb such illegal trade. (INE)
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Translator: Agus WS, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
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