As well as two live geckos and five lizards, Bali police found a drugged orangutan in a Russian tourist’s luggage who claimed that the animals were pets, has been arrested on Saturday.
The tourist Andrei Zhestkov, 27-year-old Russian man, was crossing the Denpasar air terminal late on Friday to catch a flight to Russia, and was stopped when staff using an X-ray machine spotted the 2-year-old male ape inside his suitcase.
Police also found baby formula, blankets, and the orangutan asleep inside a rattan basket.
“We believe the orangutan was fed allergy pills which caused him to sleep. We found the pills inside the suitcase,” saying this I Ketut Catur Marbawa added “Zhestkov seemed prepared, like he was transporting a baby.”
“The protected species was gifted by his friend, another Russian tourist who bought the primate for $3,000 from a street market in Java,” said Zhestkov.
Police are still investigating to find out if there are any links to international groups involved in wildlife trafficking.
The man can face up to five years in prison and $7,000 in fines for attempting to smuggle the animals if the allegation is proved.
Orangutans are recorded as fundamentally endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
> Puza Sarker Snigdha
Drugged Orangutan Found in Bali Airport: Russian Tourist Arrested
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