Though local and international laws are aimed at curbing its trade and saving the species given its increasingly degraded habitat, experts say bekantan continue to be smuggled out of Indonesia. At the Gembira zoo, there are now 11 bekantan, all of which were confiscated after a foiled attempt to smuggle them abroad. There are no categorical estimates of the size of the illicit trade, but veterinarian Noorfitrianingsih estimates that some 50 animals a year are brought out of Indonesia.
Experts say there is no lack of laws against the trade of bekantan and other endangered animals.
Indonesian law prohibits the capture, sale, killing or trade in endangered species. Noorfitrianingsih says that the Indonesian government has issued various regulations for the protection of the bekantan. These include Regulation No.7 of 1999 on the preservation of plant and animal species, and Regulation No.8 of 1999 on the utilisation of plant and wild animal species. Apart from their appeal to zoos and collectors overseas, the bekantan faces threats in their natural habitat. The bekantan population is continues to decline, especially after their original habitat on the islands Pulau Kaget and Pulau Tempurung at the estuary of the Barito river, Barito Kuala Regency, East Kalimantan, have been ravaged by the meddling hands of humans.