Next to Satria Palace in Denpasar lies a pet market. Despite Satria Palace being a main ‘sight’ to visit, we had not come to see this or anything else in Denpasar, we had come to see for ourselves what we had heard about Pasar Satria.
When we pulled up on the bike on Jalan Veteran Denpasar we found some cute, cuddly looking puppies on the roadside, and the man selling them could see in my eye how much of a soft touch I am when it comes to dogs. He got out a cute little black one and put it in my arms and immediately I was like putty- I would have happily taken them all home if I could. He could see it in my eyes that I can’t say no when it comes to puppies. Being greeted by these cute little things- pomeranians, white fluffy ones, cute little black and brown ones, you might be forgiven for thinking this was a fairly normal place to find a dog, even though they were in cages.
Then we crossed the road.
This was one of the happier looking monkeys.
At Satria you can find anything from bats and monkeys to exotic birds, fish, rabbits and ants. The saddest of all are the monkeys, who are chained up with collars around their necks. As we walked further down the street we saw some big bats hanging upside down in a wicker cage- I don’t know what anyone would want with a great big bat, but if you want one you can get one.
As we walked down the street past all the bird cages I couldn’t help but notice the contrast from the ‘puppy aisle’ across the road. We walked past some ants and I immediately felt like they were crawling all over me. This was a really f*cked up place indeed.
But it got worse. Steve directed me to the monkey shop where literally tons of monkeys were all chained and in cages. It became too much, we had to leave…
No related posts.
This is very disturbing, and we have calls and comments all the time in regards to the horrific treatment of animals on the island. We are doing all we can 24/7 but in this situation our hands our tied without animal welfare laws in Indonesia. Please sign our petition for animal welfare laws, that you can find on our website, http://www.bawabali.com or feel free to e-mail me directly so I can provide you the information on how you can help us help Bali’s animals. Thank you for caring about the animals. Janice@Bawabali.com (The Bali Animal Welfare Association)
Hi Janice, trying to find the petition on your website…where is it? Great to see such a project.
I have been to this market just last week. It broke my heart to see animals kept in barbaric conditions. However, not all the shops were so dreadful, however, it was the minority who seemed to think that caring for these animals before sale was important. I felt most sorry for a chained baby monkey and some sort of giant lizard that was kept in the shade and looked sluggish indeed.
Those monkeys look perfectly well treated. Why dont you spend your time doing something for the balinese people.You go there and exploit them as servants to your $ then rubish the way they have to make a living.Crying about animals in a country that people suffer to earn enough for food, you trully are pathetic. TThe best thing a pomie like you could do is get out of Bali and never go back.Oh and my deepest sympathy for falling off yourbike and getting a scratch which had to require iodine. The way yo go on about it it seeemed as it was life threatening. Please dont cut your legs shaving or we will have to read a whole page on that ordeal as well….
1. Those monkeys are in chains. I personally found that uncomfortable to see.
2. I did not exploit them as servants. Whilst I was in Bali I filmed a documentary and spent time with Balinese people; I visited their homes, went to their weddings, ate at the same table as them.
3. I am English, and our currency is not the dollar.
4. I don’t believe that animals should be disregarded just because a country is poor. And although the Balinese people often live on less than three dollars per day, I found them to be happy, polite, wonderful people. I do not in general rubbish the way they make a living.
5. I am not in Bali, I lived there for one year.
6. If you would like to see my scars you may think differently, they are not scratches. I currently have to go to the hospital twice a week every week to have treatment for pain and itch management, over 1 and a half years later. If you can compare not being able to walk for two months, having serious infections, losing over a stone in weight and talk of having my foot amputated because it was rotting to a shaving scratch, then you are truly ignorant.
Obviously you are truly ignorant,not to wear adequate footwear protection while riding a moped is that ignorance or stupidity?
Disregard animal welfare? How would you like these animals to be kept before sale? have you ever visited a pet store? have you ever been to an abbatoir? You visited S.A and in your travels did not see sheep or cattle dogs on a chain?$ pound baht rupiah = currency for the mentally challenged or ignorant.Scars! Put some photos up and make me eat my words….
Thats the problem in letting self appointed do gooders into a foreign land. They try to change the traditions and culture in which most tourists go to see and RESPECT. Keep trying to change the customs and their way of life and turn the place into another manchester. Just so yor not out of your comfort zone..