Besides thousands of popular items, Chatuchak market is also a place to support the illegal wildlife trade.

Chatuchak Weekend Market, the world’s largest flea market, is a must-see destination for tourists coming to Bangkok, Thailand. This place is considered a shopping paradise with a maze of alleys filled with all kinds of items such as clothes, accessories, souvenirs, furniture, handicrafts and cheap pets.

Chatuchak market only opens on weekends, from 6pm to midnight on Friday and 9am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. The market was built in the 1940s. After many moves, the market was finally located on Phahonyothin Street, in the center of Bangkok.

However, besides thousands of popular items, Chatuchak is also a place to support the illegal wildlife trade.

Visitors can find all kinds of pets here. In the picture, the Macaw parrot is at risk of extinction.

Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry, not just in Asian countries. Many customers choose Chatuchak market because this is where they can find many types of favorite pets at affordable prices.

However, they are becoming the ones supporting the growing illegal animal trade in Thailand and around the world.

In many cases, actual sales do not take place in the store. Instead, sellers and buyers will choose a small alley. The bustling stream of people at Chatuchak became the perfect screen for these illegal transactions.

Tourists with a weak heart are warned not to visit areas where animals are sold because they are often kept in terrible conditions. Many people can’t even help but feel saddened by the haggard and ragged image of the animals.