Animal trade flourishing in Kolkata

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Caged Fascinations

 

Exotic birds and animals may be banned but you can easily get them for a few

hundreds. Learn where

 

*By Suruchi Gupta*

*Posted On Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 05:32:14 PM*

 

 

 

Exotic plants are all available here

*Kolkata:* The range of colours and breeds in exotic birds, animals and

plants attracts many a pet and plant lovers on Galif street every Sunday

morning between 5am to 2pm. Sold at low prices in both bulk and retail, this

market is a haven for buyers who wish to spend less to get fancy deals, and

for sellers who can convince naive buyers to purchase birds and animals

which are about 90-95% infected and disease ridden.

 

“Anything which is infected is easily sold there, and one has to be really

lucky to buy a dog or animal without infection. Unsuspecting buyers without

an eye for details go for the bait of low price, and pay for it dearly. The

infected animals show signs of illness within two-three days and the illness

gets to them fast. The attachment and affinity built in two days, when ends

in death of pet, means end of love for a pet many times,” says Partha Sekhar

Chatterjee, International All Breed Judge, who receives many customers

bringing their infected pet to his vet clinic.

 

 

 

Note the range of fishes

This market of colonial times, which shifted from Hatibagan

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatibagan>about a decade ago, has enthusiasts

calling attention to health and hygiene issues of sellers, buyers as well as

animals. “Animals can live in dirty conditions, but they can create health

problems for all by spreading communicable diseases among other animals and

humans too, like psittacosis spread by parrots. To check this, government

must provide for health check of all animals prior to sale, but it is not

yet done,” says Debashish Chakraborty, founder, Compassionate Crusaders

Trust.

 

The 1972 Wildlife Protection Act declares selling, buying and domesticating

any Indian bird an offence. This is flouted openly at the market even today,

where birds like parakeet and mynah are available for Rs 300-500.

 

 

 

Various kinds of dogs

“We have increased the number of raids at the market. On July 25, we

confiscated 25 parakeets from Moulali. The illegal sale has gone down over

the years. Now vendors hide them when we visit, making it available for sale

behind us,” said Ashok Chakraborty, divisional forest officer, Wildlife.

 

Bird lovers not only come here to buy, but also sell their birds. One such

lover is Amarya Dan, who says, “Today, thanks to hybrid techniques, the

number of off-springs of birds has doubled and their size increased compared

to earlier times, when more varieties were available.”

 

While the best buys are available when the market starts in the morning, as

the day progresses, the prices go down. While the banned mynah is quoted at

Rs 2,000 and Lovebird <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebird>at Rs1,600 (a

pair), they can be purchased for Rs 400-500 easily.

 

 

 

The banned mynah being sold

Though tortoise is not kept in the market premises anymore, vendors take

orders of the same and promise door delivery to customers. The market also

features some rare plants like tricolour tulip flower plants, not available

easily elsewhere in Kolkata.

 

*Photo: Suruchi Gupta *

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