JEDDAH, 4 March 2006 — Workers in the bird market in Jeddah are holding their breath as the avian flu virus flies around the world. The business of selling birds has crashed because of avian flu, Al-Watan reported. Prices for prized birds, such as carrier pigeons, have dropped by over half.

In the past few weeks, reports of birds dying in large numbers around the Kingdom have been disseminated in the media. Though the culprit for the deaths has been identified as Newcastle disease, a common avian illness, the deaths have helped elevate the subject of avian flu among Saudis.

Hani Bajubair, a Saudi bird lover and pigeon owner, said that his mother warned him to keep away from the bird market or from touching any bird.

“If my mother knew that I was visiting the bird market, I would have been beaten,” said Bajubair. “To better know how Saudis are panicking because of the bird flu disease, visit the bird auction market and see bird lovers selling their bird for cheaper prices. They are trying to get rid of them. The business of selling bird nesting boxes is dead.”

Bajubair took advantage of people selling their pigeons and started to buy them as cheaper price. They took extra precautionary measures by isolating their pigeons from wild ones. They covered the big pigeon case with plastic to protect it from the virus.

Sadiq Al-Hindi, a bird vendor, talked about the crash in prices. Al-Hindi sells birds and pigeon nesting boxes. He said that in the past, before the news of bird flu, he earns SR500 daily from selling nesting boxes with prices doubling on the weekends. Now, he said, the market has crashed and he barely earns SR100 a day.

He said that if the market continues to be like this then he would change his line of business to something else.

“This was a hobby that turned into a business seven years ago,” said Al-Hindi. “I am totally surprised at people’s reaction. How could they stop buying birds when the Health Ministry cleared Saudi Arabia from bird flu? We do not see any sign of bird flu in the market and I think people overreacted. Pigeons that were valued more than SR500 in the past are sold now for SR50. People are selling birds because of a disease that we hear about only on television. I blame the media for causing the panic and damaging our line of business.”

In Asir, many businessmen are calling for compensation from the Agriculture Ministry to save their businesses. Bird traders describe the past two months as the worst in their business history.

Ahmad Al-Qahtani, a Saudi bird trader, is getting ready now to close five of his stores due to the recession the market is facing.