Rescued: Proboscis monkeys, leopard cats and black-capped lories returned to the wild
Rescuing wildlife from smugglers, fighting the trade in exotic birds, and releasing songbirds back into the wild – the wildlife conservationists of our Indonesian partner Flight are making a difference.
God loves birds and created trees. Man loves birds and invented cages.”
“In early March, we rescued six proboscis monkeys, three leopard cats and a langur,” says Marison Guciano of our partner organization Flight – Protecting Indonesia’s Birds.
On the trail of bird traffickers, the activists often free endangered mammals, tracking down gangs of poachers almost every week. They are active not only in Sumatra, but also in Borneo, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Papua.
In East Kalimantan, Borneo, they rescued the proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) and silvery langur (Trachypithecus cristatus) from the hands of wildlife traffickers.
A few days later, they rescued 40 yellow-striped lories (Chalcopsitta scintillata) in Sulawesi. These gorgeous green birds with red heads came from Papua, as did the dozens of captive black-capped lories that Flight had recently found. In February 2024, Flight released almost 7,000 birds, mostly songbirds. The activists are particularly happy about the rescue of 140 parrots and cockatoos from eastern Indonesia. The recovered birds are being nursed back to health and will then be released into the wild.
Most birds traded in Indonesia are songbirds. Smaller species in particular often do not survive capture, transport and captivity.
With tenacity and detective skills, Flight activists track down trappers and report their findings to the conservation authorities, port police and veterinary authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted.
Thanks to Flight’s commitment to endangered animals, a number of Sumatran smuggling gangs have been exposed. But Indonesia is a big place and there is still much to be done to stop the lucrative wildlife trade.
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Protecting wildlife and its habitat
Our work protects iconic rainforest wildlife like gorillas in the Congo Basin, orangutans in Indonesia and jaguars in Brazil, as well as countless others.
Giving captive birds their freedom
In Indonesia, the illegal trade in birds is booming – to the point that forests are falling silent. Our partner organization FLIGHT is fighting the poachers, putting pressure on policymakers, and awakening people’s love of birds in the wild.
Shut down wildlife markets NOW!
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Indonesia: ban the trade in wild birds!
Trappers supplying Indonesian bird markets are driving thirteen species to the brink of extinction. Call for an end to the cruelty now.
Biodiversity
Life on Earth originated around 4 billion years ago. While it initially existed only in the oceans, it later spread to the land and atmosphere. Since then, an unfathomable number of species have evolved, around half of which are insects. Numerous plant and animal species have yet to be documented, and many new ones are being discovered every day.