Moscow loses famous pet market

Pets are a favoured gift at New Year in Russia

The mayor of Moscow has shut down the city's popular pet market saying it is unhygienic.

Police moved in on Saturday to shut down the Bird Market, or Ptichka, removing protesters by force.

Luzhkov: "Sanitary norms violated"

Mayor Yury Luzhkov has offered an alternative site but the new market would be in the suburbs, far away from where the Ptichka has stood since the 1930s in the east of the city.

The market is a Moscow institution, offering all kinds of animals and pet paraphernalia at its chaotic stalls, and its director has vowed to fight the closure.

Mr Luzhkov said in his ruling that the market had "violated sanitary norms", and he said traders could move to an existing market in the south-eastern suburbs.

Court action

The Ptichka's gates have been welded together and city officials said this closure, which follows three earlier attempts by the authorities, was definitive.

According to one Moscow radio report, there are plans to build a modern pet and garden centre on the Kalitnikovskaya Street site.

Market traders can still be seen all over Moscow

The director of the market, Alexander Pochenchuk, has said he will sue Mr Luzhkov.

He accused the Moscow authorities of breaking the law by failing to offer an alternative site equal in size to the Ptichka and failing to pay compensation to traders.

Traders who tried to approach the market on Saturday were bundled away by police.

One protester said demonstrations would continue over the New Year holiday.

Moscow legend

The market is only the latest to be closed down for redevelopment over the past decade, with other Moscow sites vanishing to make way for Western-style shopping malls.

Despite its name, the Ptichka traded in all manner of animals, inspiring many jokes over the years.

According to one, a policeman at the Ptichka spots an angry-looking man walking through the gates with a bear on a chain.

"Comrade, are you out of your mind?" he asks. "What do you think you're doing with that bear?"

"Oh, it's okay, officer, I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just looking for the swindler who sold me a hamster here in the spring."