Trade in endangered animals thrives in Jakarta

Some protected species are sold openly in a Jakarta market with the authorities turning a blind eye

By Robert Go
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU

JAKARTA - 'Orang- utans? Eagles? Parrots? I can get you what you want.' So go the sales pitches at the Indonesian capital's Pramuka Bird Market.

Shut inside a cage, an orang-utan drinks milk at a sanctuary in Jakarta. Hundreds of such species are being sold openly. -- AP

Situated right under the nose of complacent authorities, the place is often labelled as Asia's biggest illegal market for endangered animals.

Behind a small bamboo cage, a young orang-utan sits next to a pile of rotting bananas.

Shifty-looking men surround the cage in the back alley of the market as a potential customer examines the animal.

A less patient 'salesman' takes a stick and prods into the cage to draw reaction from the shocked animal.

Although trading in endangered or protected species of animals is a criminal offence under Indonesian laws - carrying up to a five-year jail sentence and a $20,000 fine - such transactions occur daily, and under the knowledge of the police.

No one knows for sure how many primates, birds or mammals are bought and sold in Jakarta's three major animal markets and a number of smaller outlets.

But activists complained about lax enforcement of the laws by the police and a general indifference among Indonesians about conservation programmes.

With more animal groups conducting raids in the market these days, the sellers are more wary and take steps to ensure that the buyers are not undercover activists on rescue missions.

But once certain of the buyers' intentions, they lead them deeper into the market or to the safe-houses, where the animals are kept in squalid cages.

There, eagles and other birds are sold for around $200 and orang-utans for $1,000.

Peacocks can also be bought for as little as $600, while smaller primates start as low as $100.

Buyers could simply want pets, but some also export the animals or buy them for body parts considered to have medicinal or aphrodisiac qualities.

Some animal dealers are bold enough to advertise their stocks openly in the newspapers, asking for 'serious inquiries only, please'.

The illegal network employs hundreds, if not thousands, of people, starting from hunters in remote parts of the country, distributors and handling agents who get the animals to the market, and the salesmen who peddle them.

'They are well organised and sophisticated. Buyers can even place orders for delivery a week or two later,' complained Mr Pramudya Harzeni of Animal Conservation for Life group or KKSB.

His group runs a rescue centre and conducts joint operations with the police and other animal organisations aimed at stopping and monitoring the trade of protected species.

But activists describe their efforts as a losing battle, given the lack of support from the authorities and the public.