Jakarta, June 3 -- The Forestry Ministry, through the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Center (KSDA) and a joint team, successfully prevented the smuggling of hundreds of songbirds from Bali to Central Java.

Head of the East Java KSDA Center Nur Patria Kurniawan noted in a statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday, that on June 1, his team managed to intercept the illegal shipment of 331 songbirds at Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java.

He explained that the songbirds were being transported on intercity buses without the required official documents.

The shipment included 212 Merbah Trukcuk ( Pycnonotus goiavier ) and 119 Javanese Cinenen ( Orthotomus sepium ). Out of the total, 299 birds were still alive and were promptly handl...