AI Insight
Researchers conducted a six-week monitoring study in mid-2025 documenting the advertisement and sale of wildlife across major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The study found numerous species groups being traded illegally online, including primates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and orchids. This online trafficking represents a growing threat to biodiversity, ecosystems, and both animal and public health.
Why it matters
Social media platforms have become significant channels for illegal wildlife trade, making trafficking more accessible and harder to regulate than traditional methods. This trend accelerates species decline and increases disease transmission risks while undermining conservation efforts globally.
Understand the Science
Researchers monitoring online activity for six weeks in mid-2025 found primates, birds, snakes, frogs, orchids and many other wildlife groups advertised for sale across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Wildlife is increasingly being trafficked through online platforms. Online illegal wildlife trade poses significant risks to species, ecosystems, and animal and public health.
Source: Wildlife trafficking spreads across social media, putting thousands of species at risk