(ID) Fw: KSBK exposes Indonesia's bird markets

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Rare species protection not easy

 

Source: Jakarta Post, April 02, 2002

 

By Rita A. Widiadana, Denpasar

 

Just visit any bird market near you, and there, you will find many rare

and protected animals for sale. Bird markets in major cities in Java and

Bali are well-known as black markets for the illegal trade of protected

and endangered species in Asia. Director of Animal Conservation for Life

(KSBK), Rosek Nursahid, said that illegal trade in rare animals in

Indonesia was as extensive and complicated as the illegal trade of drugs

and weapons. He was disclosing the result of the organization's latest

survey on the sales of protected animals in several cities: Satria bird

market in Denpasar, Bali; Splendid in Malang and Bratang in Surabaya --

both in East Java; Ngasem in Yogyakarta; Depok in Surakarta, Central

Java; Sukahaji in Bandung and Pramuka and Jatinegara in Jakarta. In

1996, the turnover from rare animal trade in 12 bird markets in Java and

Bali reached around Rp 2 billion (around US$200,000). " Now, the amount

has already reached Rp 20 billion, and that's only in five bird markets.

This figure excludes export and smuggling to other countries, " Rosek

said.

 

Trade in protected animals and plants is strictly prohibited under Law

No. 5/1990 on the preservation of flora and fauna. To uphold this law,

government officials have frequently carried out raids targeting

individual houses and markets allegedly keeping and selling such

species, without much success. Early this month, on March 9, KSBK staff

and 30 officials from the Ministry of Forestry raided Pramuka and

Jatinegara bird markets in East Jakarta and several other places in

Jakarta. The raid at Pramuka bird market in East Jakarta, according to

KSBK Jakarta's staff Pramudya, only resulted in the confiscation of two

eagles, elang bondol (Haliaetus indus)) and elang laut perut putih

(Haliaetus leucogaster). " Someone had leaked the information about the

raid to traders at Pramuka bird market, " Pramudya concluded.

But during the raid in Jatinegara bird market, the team seized a

significant number of protected animals like black eagles (Spizaeutus

cirrhatus), porcupines (Hystrix brachyura) and other rare birds. Apart

from bird markets, the team also seized two female and male orangutan

(Pongo pygmaeus) at an animal show at Ragunan Zoo complex in South

Jakarta and one siamang belonging to an army colonel at Jl. M. Kafie,

Ciganjur, South Jakarta. " Many high ranking army officials across the

country were found keeping rare animals including Sumatran tigers,

bears, orangutans and eagles but nothing can be done unless there is a

strong political will on the part of the government to deal with this

problem, " Rosek added. In Bali, hundreds of rare birds from Papua were

seized this month at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, while at

Satria bird market in Denpasar, rare birds and mammalian are often

openly displayed. " This illegal business has become so profitable and

can generate millions of dollars, " Rosek explained.

 

Citing a convincing example, he said that an orangutan could be bought

in a Kalimantan or Sumatra forest for only Rp 50,000. At the local bird

markets, an orangutan might be sold for Rp 3 million. " But if an

orangutan is smuggled to Japan, it could be priced at more than Rp 150

million, " Rosek said. Ketut Muliarta, head of the environmental agency

overseeing Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, said that close

cooperation among provinces vulnerable to illegal trade of rare animals

was necessary. " Bali and Java are profitable trade centers but the

providers come from Lombok, Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara and Kupang in

East Nusa Tenggara, " Ketut said.