Bird sellers look for new businesses amid crisis

JAKARTA (JP): Amid the sound of heavy traffic above and the cheering of some gamblers below, a bird seller stared blankly at passersby under the overpass at the Kebayoran Lama market in South Jakarta.

"It was very different back in 1997 when I could sell more than five birds a day," 28-year-old Nuralim told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

"Now as you can see, nobody even bothers to bargain," he added.

Nuralim is one of hundreds of bird sellers at several markets across the capital whose business have dropped considerably in the past three years.

He and his fellow traders, who have been selling birds under the tollway for years, now see little future in their business because now many bird lovers have money to spend only for primary needs.

The presence of hundreds of birds of numerous species singing different songs provides a cacophony of sound to the entire market, where one also can buy food and even some electronic appliances.

Nuralim said that he was considering changing his business to something more promising.

"People don't buy birds anymore. They currently think only to spend their money to buy rice," Nuralim said.

Sellers at Jakarta's biggest bird market on Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta also face the same unpleasant days.

They said people have given up spending money for birds due to hardship.

"This year is the worst yet. Many of my colleagues already have closed their shops, gone back to their hometowns and started plowing (rice field) again," seller Mulyono, 32, said.

"These days, on average, I can sell only two jalak (starling) per day," Mulyono said.

He offers the starlings at Rp 200,000 each, a price he claims yields him only Rp 10,000 for his efforts.

Bird seller Uji, 19, who claims to have been selling birds with his father for five years, also notices the diminishing interest of people to get into the bird business.

"Before the crisis we could sell several boxes of baby birds to retailers but now we have to wait for a couple of days to sell one box," Uji said, adding that each box contained 50 baby birds.

Some of the birds are artificially colored by sellers to attract customers.

One cage at Uji's shop was full of baby jalak which were colored blue on their abdomens.

However, the effort was not fully successful at attracting potential buyers, Uji said.

Another seller at the market, Budi, 38 said that there used to be many foreigners, who came to the market to buy birds.

"But there are none these days. I think they are afraid to come to the market because of the (uncertain) situation," Budi said, referring to the country's security and political situation.

The market offers hundreds of birds from various species.

Mulyono said beo (myna) and cucak rawa (yellow-crowned bulbul) are the most expensive birds he has in his kiosk.

Mulyono said that cucak rawa, known by bird lovers for their beautiful song, are sold at Rp 1.5 million each.

He also offers some beos, which can be taught to mimic a few words.

"Beos, that are already able to speak, cost between Rp 3 million and Rp 3.5 million. The ones that can say 'selamat pagi (good morning) President Gus Dur' or 'selamat pagi Ibu Megawati' are the most expensive," Mulyono said.

Certain traders at the bird markets occasionally offer rare birds, which they keep secretly inside their kiosks.

The lack of buyers forces the traders to feed their "goods" with a minimum budget. As a result, passersby can see a number of starving animals for sale.

Several baby monkey traders, working at the entrance to the Pramuka bird market, said their business faced the same fate as the bird traders.

"Several years ago, I used to sell five monkeys everyday. Now I haven't had a customer for days," one of the sellers, Acong Gondrong, 28, said.

Most of the baby monkeys, offered at Rp 200,000 each, looked very skinny in their small cages. (08)