The ghostly white creature curled up on a scale is almost unrecognizable in the Facebook post offering it for sale. Only closer inspection reveals that it is a dead pangolin.
The animal, one of the world’s most endangered and traded mammals, has been stripped of its scales and is being advertised by a Thai account selling “seasonal wild delicacies”.
The post is one of dozens reviewed by AFP which illustrates what conservationists call widespread illegal wildlife trade across social media platforms, particularly those belonging to Facebook’s parent company Meta.
A report by several NGOs released on Monday accuses Meta of hosting the world’s “single largest known illegal wildlife trade” and effectively encouraging the trade by sharing advertising revenue with users and allowing them subscription models.
The report follows recent research by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), which warned Facebook is now “the central public infrastructure through which online wildlife trafficking is concentrated, detected and scaled”.
Meta declined to answer questions from AFPand pointed to policies that limit the sale of endangered species on their platforms.
But conservationists say these policies have done little to prevent Meta’s platforms from being used for illegal wildlife trade.
The GI-TOC research found over 20,000 ads for more than 260,000 wildlife products on social media platforms between April 2024 and March 2026.
Nearly three-quarters were on Facebook, and many stayed up even after being reported, said Russell Gray, a data scientist and ecologist who co-authored GI-TOC’s April report.
“Even the unredacted accounts and groups we publicly reported on in the report are still alive and active,” he said AFP.
‘Mindboggling’
Conservationists and wildlife experts said it was common.
“Not once have I received a response or seen any action taken,” says Tom Taylor, executive director of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand.
“Accounts that clearly violate the law should be closed and investigations into the criminal activities behind them should be initiated.”
Conservationists argue that Meta not only fails to remove content that violates its policies, but may effectively encourage it by allowing popular accounts to monetize content through ad revenue and subscription models.
“This content monetization that Facebook and Instagram are pushing actually encourages people to commit illegal acts,” said Daniel Stiles, an independent wildlife trafficking investigator.
“The more interaction and engagement they get on their account, the more money they can make,” added Stiles, who co-authored the report released Monday by NGOs including Freeland, Education for Nature Vietnam and the International Wildlife Trust.
Meta does not disclose which accounts are in its content monetization programs.
But those signed up to its subscription program are publicly identifiable and include an account apparently in Laos purporting to show wildlife poaching, including pangolins.
“How the Meta can allow that is beyond belief,” Stiles said.
‘Lip Service’
Animals and wildlife products are offered across Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, research shows.
But other platforms, including TikTok and Snapchat – popular for its disappearing post settings – are also increasingly being used by traffickers.
AFP reviewed examples offering everything from chimpanzees intended as pets to rhino horn for traditional medicine and pangolins for human consumption.
Some of the content is slanted – sellers often post pictures of animals or parts for sale without any price or explanation. Interested commenters are asked to direct message them.
But much of the content is clear, including a public Facebook account offering dead pangolins, lizards and other protected wildlife for consumption in Thailand.
The algorithmic nature of social media platforms means that users who engage with wildlife trading accounts are offered more.
After reviewing just a handful of public accounts advertising the illegal wildlife trade, one has AFP The journalist’s Facebook feed began routinely displaying posts selling wildlife and endangered animal parts.
Meta was among 11 tech companies that announced this month that they would work to eliminate wildlife trafficking on their websites.
But the company has been a member of the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online since 2018, and the problem has continued to grow, said Steve Galster, founder of Freeland.
He warned that the latest announcement risked being “more lip service”.
“Until Meta is forced to rid its platforms of illegal wildlife trade and prove they are not profiting from it, online wildlife trade will only get worse.”
