Photo: Denpasar Quarantine office / thejakartapost.com
A man flying to Russia from the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali was caught with a live, drugged orangutan in a rattan basket, which he planned to smuggle into his home country. He’s yet to be charged.
The man, identified by The Jakarta Post only as AZ, told authorities that he had bought the animal from a local market for about $3,000, after being told by a friend that he could take it home with him to keep as a pet. Orangutans are listed as an endangered species, so trading or taking them out of their natural habitats is against the law.
The baby orangutan, about the size of a toddler, was sleeping inside a rattan basket. AZ had drugged him by putting allergy pills into its milk, and he had more drugs with him, which he planned to administer during a layover in Korea.
Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said that officers were initially reluctant to open the basket, when they found it in the departure lounge. They thought there was a monkey inside and they feared it was awake and might turn aggressive when they popped open the lid. The basket was taken to a more secure area, where it was opened.
“The Russian deliberately used an inhumane method to take the orangutan to Russia,” Delanata tells the publication. “The Russian also had injections and drugs in his bag. He said he planned to re-administer the drugs when they transited in Korea.”
Two geckos and five lizards were also found in the Russian’s suitcase, all of them alive. Authorities are now investigating to determine whether the man is part of a wildlife trafficking syndicate, or whether he was acting alone.
The New York Times identifies him as 27-year-old Andrei Zhestkov, adding that he “face[s] up to five years in prison and $7,000 in fines for smuggling.” However, charges are pending on the results of the investigation.
The baby orangutan, about the size of a toddler, was sleeping inside a rattan basket. AZ had drugged him by putting allergy pills into its milk, and he had more drugs with him, which he planned to administer during a layover in Korea.
Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said that officers were initially reluctant to open the basket, when they found it in the departure lounge. They thought there was a monkey inside and they feared it was awake and might turn aggressive when they popped open the lid. The basket was taken to a more secure area, where it was opened.
“The Russian deliberately used an inhumane method to take the orangutan to Russia,” Delanata tells the publication. “The Russian also had injections and drugs in his bag. He said he planned to re-administer the drugs when they transited in Korea.”
Two geckos and five lizards were also found in the Russian’s suitcase, all of them alive. Authorities are now investigating to determine whether the man is part of a wildlife trafficking syndicate, or whether he was acting alone.
The New York Times identifies him as 27-year-old Andrei Zhestkov, adding that he “face[s] up to five years in prison and $7,000 in fines for smuggling.” However, charges are pending on the results of the investigation.
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