Jakarta Bird Market Part 1!

Hello everyone. I've been traveling around for the past five days in search of new suppliers. I'm back in Bali now and for today, I'd like to share some pictures from a trip to Jakarta Bird Market. I've been told that in the past, this market had some very unusual animals for sale. From baby leopards to gigantic reticulated pythons, you can basically buy any animal you like. Much of the illegal and super exotics are hidden away from the public. As we entered the market, brokers came up to us offering all kinds of things. What I really liked to see was the baby golden monkey. These are for sale from time to time and I wanted to take a picture. This market actually has toned down a lot over the years. I've been told that much of the super exotics used to be displayed, but not now. The Forestry department has cracked down on the illegal trade of wildlife. The Forestry here would be equivalent to Fish and Wildlife in the US. As a matter of fact, this was my second visit here. The first time, most of the shops had closed early because of a raid by the Forestry! I found mostly birds during this particular trip. But there are really rare birds for sale time to time. We got offers of the endangered Bali starling. Having this bird is like having a super red arowana, a high status symbol. This bird is heavily protected and is only available from time to time from captive breeding.

I'm not a bird expert or anything, so you are going to have to excuse me if I can't id them correctly.

So basically this is the entrance to the market. The "Pasar Burung" means bird market.

The alley ways are lined with vendors selling all kinds of bird supplies. Of course the bird cages are available in zillion different styles and sizes.

First thing I saw was this strange looking parrot with a red head hanging in a cage high up.

Another "parrot type of bird". Not so much color but still nice looking.

I believe these are lovebirds. They look fake with glass eyes!

Another love bird, but different in color. Again the glass looking eyes look unreal.

A pair of white doves with black tails.

These strange looking pigeons had "tufts" of feathers on their legs.

A view of one of the alley ways. No space is wasted. Everywhere, you see bird affiliated things for sale.

Check out this gamebird for sale. I believe it is pheasant.

These yellow birds look like large parakeets, but don't know.

Beautiful sky blue "parrot looking" bird!

Wow, this was a surprise! A live turkey for sale. I was thinking "is it Thanksgiving yet"?

Check out this stange looking four legged fellow! I believe it is a baby weasel.

Here is a close up shot of it's face. It has one blue eye and one brown. I hope it is not blind in one eye!

Some cool looking toket geckos! These are found all over the tropics and they make real loud sounds at night. The sound sound like "toket"! It is said here in Indo, that if you have a toket living in your house, it is supposed to bring luck! In Vietnam, you can find these things pickled in alcohol for drinking!

Here is a view of the underside of the toket gecko. Check out the lines on the bottom of its feet!

Conclusion
Ok guys that is it for today. Tomorrow, we will go over more strange birds and other animal life, including a close up view of the giant fruit bat "flying fox".

cheers,
Eddie