Bhubaneswar, May 22: Would you want to have a pigeon, like the beautiful one made popular in the song Masakali from Delhi 6, as a pet? Then Ashoka Market near the station square is the place to be.

Apart from various kinds of pigeons, lovebirds, budgerigar, cockatiel and finch are found in hundreds in the first floor of the market. Apart from birds, nearly 300 types of ornamental fish are also sold here.

Padmakshi Prajnya Pati, a student of Plus Two science at Vikas Residential School in Bargarh was seen with her parents at the market today. “I want to get an aquarium at home. So, I am here to check out the stuff available here to decide on what to buy,” she said.

Shakti Prasad Dash, a third-year B.Tech student from College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, was also seen shopping. “I am here to see some birds and fish and then decide what to buy,’’ he said.

Sandhyarani Dash, who teaches at a government school in Deogarh district, said: “We don’t have such shops in western Odisha. I am here to buy some pairs of goldfish and an aquarium for our living room.”

Pet shop owner Sushanta Kumar Sahu said: “There are 10 shops here that deal exclusively with pets. We have ornamental fish, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs. You will find 300 varieties of ornamental fish, six types of lovebirds, one variety of budgerigar, three types of cockatiel and two types of finch.”

The price for fish vary between Rs 10 and Rs 2,000. goldfish, the most popular fish in the market, can cost between Rs 40 and Rs 300 a pair.

Bikram Keshari Barik, an advocate who has a chamber in the market said: “The chirping sound of the birds creates a beautiful atmosphere here. The colourful fish inside the aquariums also make a soothing sight and shoppers seem happy here. When I am stressed with work, I often come out to have a look at the beautiful birds.”

Lovebirds are priced between Rs 1,700 and Rs 2,000 a pair, budgerigar Rs 170 a pair, cockatiel Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 a pair and finch Rs 160 to Rs 300-a-pair. Pigeons are sold between Rs 300 and Rs 1,000 a pair and there are four varieties available at the market. Guinea pigs are also sold at the market and they come for Rs 300 a pair, rabbits cost Rs 300 a pair and each puppy costs Rs 400. The sellers here get their stocks from Calcutta.

Exotic birds are exempted from the purview of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and there is no problem in keeping or breeding them.

“When I started dealing in exotic birds 15 years ago, there were no high-end buyers. But now I sell up to 50 birds that cost anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh in a single year in Bhubaneswar,” said Shyamsundar Mishra, a leading aviculturist and professional exotic bird breeder.