Jatinegara, originally known as Meester Cornelis or Meester for short, is one of many districts in East Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in the 17th century, it is one of the oldest areas in Jakarta.
The Jatinegara Animal Market plays host to a wide variety of exotic pets, including cats, dogs, bats, monkeys, civets, reptiles, fish, birds and many other species, which come from various regions across Indonesia. For most, the market is a miserable sight to behold, as often the animals are crammed together in tiny cages and exhausted from being left outside in the scorching hot sun. Traffic jams in front of the market are inevitable, as cars and motorcycles are illegally parked on the side of the road. The market is known amongst Jakartans as a safe haven for illegally trading endangered species. The the flip side of this equation, however, is that pure bread and exotic pets can be purchased for a mere fraction of the cost that they would normally be sold for from private breeders, leading to a much higher overall turn over rate.
In this video, I explore the Jatinegara Animal Market with my girlfriend to raise awareness about its existence and to discuss the pros and cons of purchasing pets under these conditions.
