The uncontrolled use of air rifles is considered a major cause of the decline in the population of Indonesia's endemic wildlife.

Bogor, W Java (Indonesia Window) – The widespread use of unsupervised air rifles is considered a major cause of the decline in the population of Indonesia's endemic wildlife.

Domestically produced, readily available and relatively inexpensive, these weapons are often misused for unethical and slaughter-based poaching.

Dr. Rahmat Shah, Chairman of the Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI), who is also the advisor to the Indonesian Wildlife Conservation Forum (FOKSI), made the remarks at the conclusion of the first session of the workshop ‘Conservation Action Planning for the Javan Warty Pig and Bawean Warty Pig,’ at Taman Safari Indonesia (locally known as its abbreviation TSI) Prigen, East Java, on Monday.

According to Rahmat, various species of endemic Indonesian wildlife—from birds and mouse deer to tigers and civets—are experiencing serious population pressure due to excessive hunting using air rifles.

"It's so easy for people to get air rifles as they're cheap, and they're uncontrolled. If this continues, our conservation efforts would be in vain," he noted.

He compared the hard work of conservation organizations, which takes months or even years to increase animal populations, to the impact of poaching, which can wipe out many individuals in a single night.

"We in a conservation organization work three months, six months, a year, or even three years, only to get one or two animals. But when we kill with air rifles, how many animals can die in one night?" he stressed.

Rahmat views this situation as a serious imbalance that must be addressed immediately through strengthened policies and regulations. He urged the government to review regulations on the ownership and use of air rifles, which have been deemed lax and lacking oversight.

"The requirements for owning weapons, including air rifles, must be regulated and measured," he said, emphasizing that these weapons should no longer be sold freely without controls.

Rahmat further highlighted the differences in the concept of hunting in Indonesia compared to practices in several other countries. He cited Brazil as an example, which permits hunting with strict etiquette and ethics as part of the management and conservation of animal populations.

"Overseas, hunting is permitted, but there are rules. Only older males are allowed to hunt, as they carry many females. Torture is prohibited, the skin is removed, the meat is left for other animals to prey on, and the young are not allowed," he explained.

Meanwhile, hunting conditions in Indonesia are considered far from ethical conservation principles. Rahmat estimates that around 70–80 percent, or even more, of wildlife hunters in the country currently act like slaughterers.

"They hunt at night using flashlights. They take the young and females. This is not hunting, but slaughter," he said.

"In the future, we must protect our wildlife populations for our children and grandchildren. Hunting is permissible, but there must be clear ethics and regulations. Otherwise, we will lose the natural resources that should be our children's inheritance," he remarked.

Reporting by Indonesia Window