TIMIKA, Irian Jaya (JP): It is easy to locate exotic birds such as parrots and cockatoos for sale in a back section of the bustling Timika market. But the much sought-after Bird of Paradise from the southern part of Irian Jaya is not sold openly.

A few discreet inquiries, however, and one bird trader offered to have a Bird of Paradise, known here as cendrawasih, home delivered. The trader said he would wait for local people to offer him one, or ask cash-poor locals to venture into the jungle to hunt for one of the 42 species of the endangered bird.

Traders also often head to houses in upmarket neighborhoods where the owners might be open to buying stuffed cendrawasih at prices ranging from Rp 700,000 to more than Rp 1 million. And prices can be twice as much depending on the size and rarity of the species.

"Trade and hunting of the Bird of Paradise and other exotic birds is intensifying. Hunters and traders vary from ordinary individuals, traditional people, state officials and big traders," the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for Timika said in a statement promoting a Bird of Paradise awareness campaign.

"Even though it is protected under Indonesian law and its survival is endangered in Papua, the bird is threatened by lucrative and irresponsible trade."

The WWF Bioregion Sahul division for Irian Jaya only opened its Timika office three months ago. Staff member Julens Waromi said Timika is increasingly important because this boom town of Mimika regency could well become a major exit point for illegal wildlife trade.

It already is for birds. Abel Refasi, head of Mimika forestry agency, said most birds taken out of Irian Jaya were shipped out of Timika. "There is just no control of the bird trade at Timika's public sea ports," he said, attributing the problem to a shortage of manpower and facilities.

He added that many birds were also brought in from Agats and other places in Merauke regency.

Plumage

The Bird of Paradise, which lives in a range of territories, from coastal mangrove forests to cool mountain areas, has been admired for hundreds of years for its beautiful plumage.

Aristocrats in Turkey and France, who wore their feathers as fashion accessories in the 16th century, thought the plumes came from mythical birds which were immortal. Chinese traders reported that the birds lived in the air and always turned to the sun, only descending to the Earth to die.

Europe used to be the main market for the plumes, used for women's hats and accessories. Trade in the plumes reached its peak in the late 19th century. Plumes from more than 50,000 birds were exported every year, generally to Paris for capes and hats.

By the 1920s, with the bird population decimated, the Dutch stopped the trade. The most common species, living in the lowlands, are the largest and smallest birds, with yellow heads and mantles composed of short soft feathers. These birds make loud gong-like calls.

Among the very rare species, which are also the ones most desired by traders, are the white-tailed, or ribbon-tailed, and the Blue Bird of Paradise.

The recovery in bird numbers did not last long. The Indonesian government only officially outlawed trade in the birds and certain species of parrot and cockatoos in 1990. These species have also been listed under the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) as prohibited for international trade.

And as Irian Jaya becomes more open to outsiders, bird hunting is on the rise. Those involved in the hunts reportedly include local people, military and police personnel, government officials and professional bird traders.

The modus operandi has always been for outsiders to buy from local people, or have locals catch the birds by paying them a pittance. Locals are needed because the birds are notoriously skittish.

Local people sell the birds for as much as several hundred thousand rupiah to as low as Rp 100,000 (less than US$10), depending on individual knowledge of the birds' value and urgency for cash.

Local people also use the plumes as headdresses and accessories at tribal gatherings and cultural events. WWF's Waromi said use by local people for cultural rituals is not prohibited under the law.

"It has been like that for a long time. The use is minimal and happens only at certain times of the year. Not all local people use plumes at cultural ceremonies and gatherings," he explained.

It is trade by outsiders that poses a danger to survival of the Bird of Paradise and other species.

"Every time a navy ship leaves Irian Jaya, it is like a zoo of birds inside," a source close to the military said.

While birds such as parrots and cockatoos largely end up in the domestic market, overseas trade of the Bird of Paradise has continued. The WWF said the Bird of Paradise were shipped to Riau islands and Batam before proceeding to Singapore to supply the black market there.

The WWF Bioregion Sahul division last conducted a population survey of the Bird of Paradise in 1994. It estimated the population in Yappen Waropen, the regency that faces Cendrawasih Bay where the birds are supposedly most common, at 6.3 birds per 100 hectares.

Multiplying it with the size of the bird areas in Waropen and nearby forests, the total comes to 13,185 birds.

Based on the 1994 survey, it is assumed that the total population of the birds in Irian Jaya reaches no more than 50,000. If half of that total is female, we can expect 25,000 hatchlings every year, and assuming 20 percent of them reach maturity, there is an increase of 5,000 birds a year. However, should disturbance of the birds' natural habitat and hunting continue at the present level, 10,000 birds will disappear every year, meaning there will be only 2,500 Bird of Paradise remaining in 2004, a WWF statement warned.

There does not appear to be any attempt by anyone or local authorities to check the illegal transportation or trade of the birds out of Indonesia's eastern-most province. Waromi said that during his two year stint as WWF officer in the Wamena highlands and now Timika, he has failed to see any effort to curb illegal bird capture and trade. "It is as free as the birds fly," he said.

The ruggedness and remoteness of many parts of Irian Jaya have always been an excuse for lack of control relating to many issues in the region. Local officials have continued to complain of manpower and financial shortages preventing them from curbing the trade. The increasing attention on the part of Papuan politicians and lawmakers on local popular politics has added greater ignorance to the birds' future.

It is not only the Bird of Paradise species that smugglers and bird traders covet from Irian Jaya. Parrots, cockatoos and cassowaries have been popular at bird markets in Jakarta and Surabaya.

Continued trade in the birds worries people like Waromi and Refasi because of its effect on the local culture.