Bird traders hard hit by bird flu

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Faisol, a trader in the Bratang bird market here, looked over his birds which a much more careful eye than usual. With reports of bird flu dominating the news for the last few weeks, such caution is necessary to prevent his birds falling victim to the lethal virus.

Another fear over which Faisol has little or no control is the fear that his business is suffering since bird flu killed four people in Jakarta.

He said he had not sold a bird in the past week. The situation is difficult, because in normal times Faisol sells four to six birds a day.

Faisol has been selling birds for 20 years in Bratang market, the biggest bird market in East Java. He sells commonly found birds such as turtledoves, as well as rarer birds such as white cockatoos with yellow crests.

Bird flu has cost Faisol dearly. He is unable to sell any birds, but he still has to buy them food and medicine to keep the animals healthy.

Another trader at the market, Abdul Hasyim, shares Faisol's concerns. While he normally makes about Rp 1.5 million a day, for the last few weeks his income has dropped to about Rp 75,000 a day.

"Many wealthy people are shying away from buying exotic birds. Most of our buyers now come from the lower income brackets, and they usually buy cheap pigeons for racing," said Hasyim, who said he was considering a change in profession.

The lack of business has not only affected the traders but also the parking attendants at the market. Maman, a parking attendant, said that during weekends and holidays he could earn as much as Rp 300,000 a day, but his earnings had fallen by about 75 percent since bird flu made the headlines.

Surabaya Zoo has also been hurting for business since the bird flu scare. When The Jakarta Post visited East Java's largest zoo on Saturday, there were very few visitors.

"Since the stories of bird flu killing birds at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta a few days ago, few people have visited our zoo. But people should not worry because we check our birds every day," said zoo manager Liang Kaspe.