T

he pungent stench of livestock pervades the air, but Rachmat, a goat trader, sleeps unperturbed at his temporary roadside pen on Jl. Panjaitan, East Jakarta.

"It stinks, but I have to guard my goats," he says when he finally wakes up.

Hundreds of seasonal livestock traders have set up shop along city streets and housing areas, just days before the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, which falls this Friday.

The traders say they build their pens here to draw more buyers.

For pedestrians and nearby residents, however, the inconvenience is both nasal and nasty: the stench hangs heavy in the air, while the risk of stepping in urine or droppings is up there too.

Rachmat, a 20-year veteran of the business, admits the sight and smell of the barns might raise concerns about the city's cleanliness.

He says he had to move his pen from Kalibata, South Jakarta, to his current location because the local administration at the for-mer site was trying to win the Adipura award for running a clean municipality.

Rachmat balks at claims his pen is dirty, saying he cleans it out daily.

"I gather the dirt and toss it into the sanitation agency's garbage truck every day," he says.

Irfan, a cattle buyer, says putting up pens in residential areas, like the ones on Jl. Panjaitan, is a good strategy.

"I bought two cows here for Rp 25 million *US$2,600* because it's close to my home in Cipinang *in East Jakarta*," he says.

The temporary pens are dismantled on the sacrifice day, when residents slaughter their animals near mosques and the meat is be distributed among the poor.

Rachmat says he sells a goat for Rp 800,000 to Rp 3 million, while Kiran, a cow trader in the area, sells a head of cattle for between Rp 8 million and Rp 16 million.

The animals must be healthy males more than a year old.

On the day The Jakarta Post visits, about 40 goats are seen huddled in a 9-square-meter pen.

Benfica, an animal rights activist from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), says the traders should treat their animals better.

"They shouldn't just be thinking about the profit," he says.

"They should also keep these animals healthy and comfortable before the sacrifice."

He adds the animals should be given enough room to move and their pens should be cleaned out at least twice a day.

"I've seen some of these pens and the traders say they only clean them out in the morning," Benfica says.

"The animals sleep in their droppings and urine. It's not good for their health."

He says the city's livestock agency should also run checks on whether the pens meet health requirements.

Rachmat and Kiran claim the agency has already checked their animals and decreed them healthy.