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Your letters: Jakarta's notorious wildlife markets
News this week from the World Bank, no less, that Indonesia has topped the list of countries throughout the world with the highest number of endangered species, reminds me of a visit I made recently to Jatinegara wildlife market in East Jakarta
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ews this week from the World Bank, no less, that Indonesia has topped the list of countries throughout the world with the highest number of endangered species, reminds me of a visit I made recently to Jatinegara wildlife market in East Jakarta. What a nightmare it turned out to be.
The wildlife for sale came from Indonesia as well as many other countries. The sight of such appalling cruelty to birds and animals, the brazen sale of illegal wildlife, the stench that remained in my nostrils for days, left me shocked and saddened.
Shocked, because although I'd known this market had been openly selling contraband wildlife for as long as anyone can remember, I was not really prepared for its scale and the cruelty involved. I'd seen wildlife markets in other countries, but nothing as bad as this one. I'm also sad to see such cruelty and illegality because I am fond of Indonesia and have been visiting for the last 20 years.
If this wildlife market was shut down it would not harm anyone other than criminals and a few local traders, who would quickly move on to selling non-wildlife products. So why isn't it shut down? A colleague visited the other, even more infamous Pramuka wildlife market in Central Jakarta and was sickened by what he saw.
Cruelty to animals and birds, unsanitary conditions; 'filth everywhere', is how he described it. 'Surely it's only a matter of time before a major disease outbreak or a disaster like a fire destroys this place and all its wildlife', he said to me.
The thing is, elsewhere throughout Indonesia we see more and more arrests of illegal wildlife traders. The major problem seems to be in Jakarta, where, for reasons one can only speculate about, wildlife law enforcement is practically non-existent. It's not that Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) cannot enforce the law; they appear unwilling to do so and, unless they do, nothing will ever improve, will it?
How difficult can it be for the police to make regular visits to both markets and arrest those who are essentially known criminals? It is really very basic detective work.
I appeal to the Jakarta governor to rid Jakarta once and for all of its international reputation as a haven for wildlife crime. This is not a lot to ask, is it?
Sean Whyte
London
