Tens of thousands of endangered birds are being sold illegally at markets across Indonesia, threatening these species with extinction.
Tens of thousands of endangered birds are being sold illegally at markets across Indonesia, a wildlife trade watchdog warns, flouting laws aimed at protecting these species from extinction.
Wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC recorded nearly 23,000 birds for sale at five markets in three major cities on the main island of Java.
More than two dozen species identified in the survey were fully protected under Indonesian law, meaning all hunting and trafficking of them is prohibited.
These included the critically endangered Black-Winged Myna, native to Java and Bali, and other rare species found nowhere outside Indonesia's vast archipelago.
Bird keeping has long been part of Indonesia's national culture, with research showing over a third of households kept a bird.
There is a particular interest in keeping songbirds – enthusiasts enter their prize birds in song contests, which are popular and widespread in Java and Bali.
A boost in demand for certain types of birds has put excessive pressure on vulnerable species. According to the IUCN 10 birds endemic to Indonesia are already facing immediate threats of extinction.
"If this level of trade continues, in the next few years some species of birds could be wiped out completely from the wild," Serene Chng, the co-author of TRAFFIC's new report into the bird trade, told AFP.
Wildlife activists have urged the government to close several notorious bird markets in Jakarta.
This latest report from TRAFFIC says the widespread trafficking of birds extends far beyond the markets of the Indonesian capital, and has called for law enforcement to shut down the illegal trade for good. (ABC/AFP)