The weekly Friday animal market at the livestock central market south of Jeddah has become very famous amongst animal- and pet-lovers in the Kingdom. Enthusiasts find that the market is the only one which provides a variety of different animals for sale after the Al-Khubah animal market - which lay along the border with Yemen - closed as a result of the confrontation between the Saudi military and infiltrators six months ago. A visit to the market involves finding animals like dogs, snakes, peacocks, pigeons and parrots. The sellers use this market as a source of livelihood due to unemployment. “I have been raising pigeons for 20 years. I haven't got a job right now so I'm using my hobby to feed myself until I can find a job,” remarked Ali Hassan. He added that every Thursday he prepares himself and his pigeons to travel from Jizan to Jeddah for the purpose of selling the pigeons at the market. In fact, the market has a special section for pigeons called “harraj” (auction) where the pigeons are literally auctioned to the highest bidder. These pigeons hail from around the world though Korean, Iraqi, Pakistani and Sudanese pigeons are the most common types to be auctioned. Sold between 50 and 400 Saudi riyals depending on the pigeon's looks and health, the market for pigeons is rather lucrative. The market is completely supervised by the Jeddah Mayoralty, and they are responsible both for checking the health condition of the animals and providing sellers and shops with licenses. “We have a team consisting of vets and officials to check the health condition of the animals, treat any injured or sick ones and confiscate the latter if necessary,” remarked Dr. Nasser Al-Jarallah, the head of slaughterhouses and public benefits department at the Jeddah Municipality. “Moreover, this team works in two shifts and is responsible for managing the market every Friday.” During Saudi Gazette's visit to the market, a man was observed trying to sell a snake he bought from a friend overseas. Making an initial offer of 5,000 riyal, the only response he received for this chicken-eating snake was 2,500 riyals by a Saudi customer. A variety of lizards are also available to buy at the market. Sellers catch lizards from the central region of the Kingdom as lizards prefer the desert's hot and arid climate. The market provides food for the animals as well, including cereal and seeds for the birds. A number of cages are also sold, though the price varies according to size and material. Small, wooden ones sell for as little as 50 riyals, for instance, and as much as 150 riyals. For children, there is also a good variety of canaries on sale, including ones from Bangladesh and Australia. A pari of canaries can be bought for 150 riyals in a colorful cage.
