PRESS RELEASE
President Joko Widodo has outraged conservationists after buying wild birds at the notorious Pramuka wildlife market.
Gunung Gea, director of SCORPION said, “Our President means well in buying birds and releasing them, but all he is doing is supporting criminals who illegally sell wildlife at this terrible market. Our President should be closing down the market, not shopping in it.”
When the President, or anyone, buys these wild birds, the dealers order more to be captured from the wild and when that happens a great many birds are either killed or die in transit to the markets. Even more birds die after being bought by people who don’t know how to feed and treat the birds.
In September 2015 experts from ‘Traffic’ the well respected wildlife trade monitoring organisation, found over 19,000 birds representing 206 species for sale in the Pramuka, Jatinegara and Barito markets over a three-day period. 98% of these birds were being illegally sold.
Gunung Gea continued, “Our wild birds are disappearing from the wild at a very fast rate. Only last week a zoo in England was sent birds from Indonesia to try and breed to save them from extinction here in Indonesia. We need to care for our wildlife or risk losing it forever – our children will never forgive us if this happens.”
President Joko Widodo.
Pramuka bird market, Jakarta. Photo: Scorpion.
Jatinegara wildlife market, Jakarta. Photo: Scorpion.
