101 East

Turning a blind eye

What can be done to stop Indonesia’s flourishing trade with endangered species?

The illegal wildlife trade is booming in Indonesia, threatening the country’s rich biodiversity and driving rare animal species to the brink of extinction.

Despite raids on animal markets and homes, the trade continues to flourish, fuelled by domestic and international demand.

It is a big money business. The animals are wanted as exotic pets, or their body parts are used for traditional medicine and as decoration.

Indonesia’s Sumatran tigers are critically endangered with less than 500 left in the wild, and the country’s rescue and rehabilitation centres are stretched for resources to care for animals rescued from the trafficking trade.

On this edition of 101 East, we ask if the illegal trade of South East Asia’s endangered wildlife can be stopped.

This 101 East episode can be seen from Thursday, January 6, at the following times GMT: Thursday: 1230, 2330; Friday: 0630; Saturday: 0030; Sunday: 0330, 1630.