The wild bird trade in Indonesia

Indonesia Java International Destination, I’ve done a bit of further research on the issue of bird-hunting in West Java and Indonesia generally and it seems that there are two areas of greatest concern and attention, firstly the live bird trade conducted in markets that are scattered all over Indonesia – and across south-east Asia – and secondly the trade in wild bird carcasses for human consumption.

I thought I might be able to address both of these issues in the one post. But as I looked at them more closely it became clear that I should do separate posts on each of these issues.

Here I will focus on the trade in wild and captive-bred birds conducted in the many markets scattered across the 1,500 islands that make up Indonesia.

Before we go any further I note that, apart from a stop-over or two in airports, I’ve not been to Indonesia or many parts of south-east Asia.

Accordingly I would welcome any personal accounts from those more familiar with this part of the world than I am – or corrections about any comments or observations that I make in this article.

Indonesian bird markets appear to draw two distinct responses – the first is the fascination that tourists have with the diversity and action in these places. The second is one of horror at the sheer scale of the trade and the effects that it may have on bird diversity in a region with extraordinary endemic diversity.

For an example of the first response see this video from Robin Meurer of the Yogyakarta Bird Market and this contribution on the Pasar Burung Satria (Bird Market) in Bali, which without a hint of irony says that:

This colorful and often noisy market is not for the weak-hearted. Come here only if seeing birds and other animals in small, and sometimes cruel cages, do not bother you. Always more than happy to show you their best birds, the various shop owners will of course want you to buy one! Often, you will come across other small animals such as monkeys, squirrels, small wild cats and other unidentifiable animals from the heart of the dark jungles of Indonesia. This interesting place enables one to see some of the quickly disappearing animals of Indonesia.

And this from the Things to do in Bali page at AsiaRooms.com:

The Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali is an awesome place for shopping in Bali in Indonesia. With an amazing collection of exotic, colorful and noisy birds and animals, the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali is a place that promises to get to you many of the animals and birds that are endangered and slowly moving towards extinction. In Fact, the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali, is a place that bird and animal lovers, and collectors will love, especially as it boasts of such exotic things.

Colorful tropical birds, which include the unique “perkutut” song bird, and other small and large animals, such as monkeys, squirrels, small wild cats, as well as other unknown and unrecognizable creatures can be found for sale at the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali. The shop owners at the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali display the best of their wares to you, and entice you into buying these exotic birds and animals. Many of these birds and animals that are on sale at the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali, have been captured from the wilds of Indonesia Interesting to those who love such exotic items, as well as those who are interested in such endangered birds and animals, the Pasar Burung (Bird Market) in Bali is one of those traditional markets that has a great renown among the tourist community.

While it is difficult to grasp the full scale of the wild and captive-bred bird trade across Indonesia, recent research indicates that the trade is immensely complex and varied.

Earlier this year Profauna, an Indonesian NGO working to protect wild animals and their habitat, conducted a research project into the wildlife markets on Java Island and in October this year reported that:

ProFauna recorded that there were 183 animals of 25 species traded openly in the markets. Some of them were Lorius Lory (Nycticebus coucang), Javan langur (Trachypithecus auratus), Tarsius (Tarsius bancanus), Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory), Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis), Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis), and Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros). From the 70 visited bird markets or locations, 14 markets sold parrots, 21 markets sold primates, 11 markets sold mammals, 13 markets sold raptors, and 11 markets sold protected song birds (non parrot). The protected songbirds included Black-winged Starling (Sturnus melanopterus) and Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis). The province which bird markets sold protected wildlife the most was East Java, while the city that sold and displayed protected species the most was Depok bird market in Solo, Central Java; and Ambarawa was on the second place. In discreet manners, the bird markets that sold many protected species were ones in Surabaya, Semarang, and Jakarta. The traders in those markets sold the animals secretly. They kept the illegal wildlife in their warehouses and private houses.

The location that traded parrot the most was in Semarang…For the protected birds (non parrot), Surabaya was the city that sold the birds the most. The price of the animals being traded in bird markets in Java varies depending on the animal ages, species, protection status, stock, and potential buyer. For mammal, primate, and song bird species, the younger the birds are, the more expensive the price…A Lorius Lory could fetch from 75,000 IDR (7,5 USD) to 250,000 IDR (25 USD). Parrots were relatively more expensive, around 750,000 IDR (75 USD) to 1 million IDR (100 USD).

Reporting on an earlier investigation by Profauna, in 2004 The Jakarta Post noted the immense scale and the inter-island and international nature of the Indonesian wildlife trade that was highly sophisticated and rife with police and official corruption:

An investigation by non-governmental organization ProFauna Indonesia reveals that inter-island trade of endangered species continues openly in Lampung, Bengkulu, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Papua, South Sulawesi, Bali, East Java, Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Java and Jakarta, with relevant authorities making no visible attempt to stop the transactions. Topping the list of rare animals traded are reptiles, birds and primates, with Jakarta’s Pramuka bird market remaining the main destination, followed by Surabaya’s Bratang and Semarang’s Karimata bird markets. Virtually all animals sold in these markets, protected or otherwise, come from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Ambon, Maluku and Papua.

Pramuka is the world’s largest illegal animal market. Hardi Baktiantoro of ProFauna Indonesia said animal traders in Lampung, Sumatra, often hired elderly women to take thousands of animals, including rare species, to Jakarta’s Pramuka bird market weekly. These elderly women, Hardi said, traveled by public transportation from Bandar Lampung to Pramuka bird market, from where the animals were distributed to other cities across Java, including Surabaya and Semarang. “Thousands of gibbons, owls and eagles are exported from Lampung to Java through the Bakauheni and Merak ports every week,” he said. Most of the protected species are usually collected from Kotabumi, Liwa, Prabumilih and Martapura in Sumatra.

According to ProFauna, the trade in protected animals in Surabaya, East Java, is concentrated at Bratang bird market, where at least 100 endangered species of various classes are sold freely every month, including the long-tailed Javanese monkey (Trachypithecus auratus), eagles, Yellow-crested Cockatoos and Gibbons.

…buyers of illegally traded protected animals usually hail from the upper classes, and are thus educated and understand law. In some cases, protected animals end up in the hands of high-ranking military and police officers, who receive protected animals as gifts when they are transferred to a new posting. “These educated, richer and well-off people are giving horrible examples to the rest of society, that it is okay to own protected animals illegally. In so doing, they indirectly promote this huge wildlife trade in Indonesia,” Smits said. “We need a mass campaign to shame these people for breaking the law.”

Aside from domestic trade, some of Indonesia’s rare animals have also been smuggled overseasIwan, however, said Indonesia’s trade in rare and protected animals also involved international networks that facilitate the smuggling of endangered, indigenous animals to countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. “They (traders) are extremely well organized and have connections with a lot of different institutions in Indonesia. They have a lot of contacts they can use to help them smuggle,” asserted Smits. Officials estimate the value of the Indonesian animal trade at US$1 billion (Rp 8.45 trillion) annually, with the bulk of profits enjoyed by international smugglers. An orangutan, for example, is sold for up to $50,000 in Europe.

While it is easy to have a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that thousands of birds are kept in appalling conditions purely for human exploitation, profit and enjoyment, it is important to note that, as with most of the relationships between people and birds, things are a bit more complex than that.