Suspected kangaroo smuggler arrested in Indonesia

[ccharles000]

An Indonesian man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling 10 rare kangaroos from their native habitat of New Guinea island.

Five were dead when the man was caught off-loading the marsupials in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya, police there said.

It was not clear which species of kangaroo were found. They are also native to Australia.

The five surviving animals were given to an animal sanctuary.

The suspect faces up to five years in jail and 100 million rupiah ($11,000) fine if found guilty of breaching Indonesian conservation laws.

Maj Widarmanto of the East Java police said: "The man said that he bought the kangaroos for two million rupiah ($212) each."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8397114.stm