Environmentalists concerned after report finds endangered species being sold on Facebook
On World Wildlife Day, wildlife monitoring network Traffic found hundreds of threatened animals including gibbons and sun bears being traded through the social network in Malaysia.
Environmentalists are concerned that Facebook and other online platforms have become the sites for a thriving illegal wildlife trade, the BBC reported. Wildlife monitoring group Traffic tracked just 14 Facebook groups in Malaysia for half an hour a day over a period of four months, and found more than 300 animals – many from endangered and threatened species – for sale.
Co-author of the report and Traffic programme manager Kanitha Krishnasamy said, “The rise of social media appears to have enabled the creation of a thriving marketplace for wild animals as pets where one previously didn’t exist in Malaysia.”
Facebook has said it will “not hesitate” to remove content promoting the illegal trade of wildlife. At least half the species recorded were illegal to sell under Malaysian law. The species traded included sun bears, gibbons, binturongs, otters and other species. Environmentalists and investigators are now concerned that social media and technology has made it easier for anyone selling wildlife to access potential buyers. Traffic’s Sarah Stoner said the report reflects a worldwide problem, and “demands nothing short of a concerted global response”.