Jakarta, Indonesia - Two men accused of trying to smuggle an endangered orangutan from eastern Indonesia were arrested following a monthslong investigation into the illegal trade, a media report said on Sunday.
If found guilty, they could face a maximum five years in jail and a fine of up to $11 000.
Forest rangers confiscated a red ape, believed to be around five-years-old, during a weekend raid in Pangkalan Bun, a city on the southern tip of Borneo island, Kompas newspaper quoted Mega Haryanto, head of the local Conservation and Natural Resources Agency, as saying.
The suspects allegedly intended to bring the animal to the main island of Java.
Last month, authorities in nearby West Kalimantan province arrested a suspected smuggler after he was found carrying a young orangutan in his shoulder bag.
There are only an estimated 50 000 to 60 000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia, but their existence is endangered by both illegal trading and forest conversion. - Sapa-AP