The wild birds of Indonesia are experiencing a wildlife trade-driven population crisis. To meet the huge demand from bird markets, especially those on Java island, poaching and smuggling of wild birds are now rife. Birds are even captured from protected areas.

Millions of birds have been trapped and taken into the city, locked up in small cages in people’s houses, all to hear a bird sing. A lot of birds dies during capture, transport, and in cages.

Smuggling and illegal wild bird trade is not only widespread for birds from Sumatra, Bali and Lombok, but also birds from eastern Indonesia, especially Papua and Maluku.

Our investigations also have confirmed that many wild bird traders are implicated in the illegal trade and smuggling of other rare wildlife. Therefore, while FLIGHT is primarily focused to saving wild birds, investigations have also supported the rescue of other protected species such as agile gibbons, slow loris, Wallaby and Malay pangolins from the illegal wildlife trade.

Since our establishment in February 2018, we have saved more than 150 thousand songbirds in Sumatra, Bali and Lombok. Entering our fifth year, we plan to expand our commitment to saving other wild bird species throughout Indonesia, including wild bird populations in Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua.