Indonesia making efforts to stop illegal trade in wildlife

Efforts are being made to stop the illegal trade in wildlife in Indonesia, but they're being hampered by government and military officials who keep endangered species at home, as status symbols.

The Indonesian archipelago is rich in all sorts of wildlife - 36 species of primates alone. Perhaps the best known is the orangutan -- an Indonesian word that literally translates as "forest person." But it's the orangutans' human qualities that have helped put it high on the list of endangered species.

Willie Smits runs the Balikpapan Orangutan Survival Foundation. His group has confiscated baby orangutans from people who have gone as far as shaving and dressing them to make them resemble human babies.

"A couple of times we confiscated orangutans where we had to physically pull them from the breasts of women who were feeding them with their own milk."

The trade in endangered species is big business and big money. The price of a primate purchased for the equivalent of $5 on Indonesia's outer islands climbs to $500 by the time traders bring it to Jakarta. It can reach $10,000 if the animal is exported to the U.S. or Japan.

The laws required to protect the animals are already in place, but taking on the poachers is dangerous business.

"I almost died a couple of times trying to protect these animals -- because some of the people who have them are from the military," says Yunus Makasau of the Forestry Police. "They have weapons. And if that's the case, there's not much I can do."

Makasau says there are signs the conservationists' efforts are having an impact. The police now publicize the raids they carry out on homes and businesses to confiscate endangered species.

Either through embarrassment or concern, the publicity prompts other people to hand over wildlife voluntarily. But it's not clear publicity will bother the big-time poachers. They make far too much money.