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Max sentence request for Javan rhino poacher too low, experts say

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Indonesian prosecutors are seeking a five-year jail sentence for a poacher who confessed to participating in killing seven Javan rhinos from 2019-2023, essentially wiping out at least 10% the species’ global population. In a related development, police have arrested another alleged poacher in Ujong Kulon National Park, the sole remaining habitat for Javan rhinos. Not a deterrent The man currently on trial, Sunendi, is alleged to be part of a gang who slaughtered the rhinos for their horns, which are valued in parts of Asia as medicine. Police arrested a buyer and middleman as well, though a number of other alleged gang members are still at large. The five-year sentence prosecutors are seeking is the maximum for wildlife poaching in Indonesia, although Sunendi also faces gun possession charges that carry a maximum sentence of death. “Wildlife crime arrests and convictions are rare in Indonesia, so we are pleased that this criminal was caught and [potentially will be] sentenced at all,” said Nina Fascione, the head of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). In his trial, Sunendi, a 34-year-old from a village adjacent to the park, pleaded for leniency, saying his actions were driven by economic necessity. In 2019, Ujung Kulon National Park reported a population of 72 rhinos. However that number came under fire last year after a scathing report found that the park was counting some dead rhinos. The report also warned that poachers had been entering the park, an allegation that has proven true with time. “To the best…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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