An example of a wildlife trader profile selling bear bile, cobras, pangolin scales, bats, scorpions, slow loris and more. Researchers found that between the images of wildlife products, the trader posts screenshots of bank transfers and sales transactions to show it is legitimately selling the posted products. Pangolin scales, cobras, bats, scorpions and even slow lorises are being openly traded onFacebook, in plain sight.
A new report has found that Facebook has become the primary online marketplace for illegal wildlife trade, with South Africa among the countries affected by the growing digital trafficking of endangered species. Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Researchers Russell Gray and Simone Haysom recorded more than 21,900 adverts linked to over 266,000 wildlife products across 61 online platforms. Of these, more than 16,000 were found on Facebook alone, accounting for about 74% of the total.
“Facebook is not simply one platform among many. It is the central public infrastructure through which online wildlife trafficking is being concentrated, discovered and scaled,” the researchers said. An example search for ‘pangolin scales sale’ yielded several groups and pages.
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On one, users inquire about buying pangolins/scales and provide their contact details. Researchers found videos and images on the pages that showed users with pangolins, bags of pangolin scales, and even lion cubs advertised for sale. South Africa, already flagged for high levels of environmental crime, forms part of the global monitoring network tracking the trade.
The report noted that countries selected for analysis included those scoring highly on organised crime indices and those with active online wildlife markets. Investigators found that Facebook groups are the main hubs for this activity, accounting for the majority of listings. In many cases, users were exposed to illegal content without actively searching for it, suggesting that the platform’s recommendation systems are pushing such material to wider audiences.
Gray and Haysom described the scale of the trade as significant. Around 60% of adverts included prices, with the total advertised value exceeding $66 million — almost all of it linked to Facebook. They warned that the trade is not confined to one country but operates across borders, with wildlife sourced in one region, sold through platforms in another and shipped globally.
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