Wildlife trafficking spreads across social media, putting thousands of species at risk

Wildlife trafficking spreads across social media, putting thousands of species at risk

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.

Social media fuels online wildlife trade

New research warns online marketplaces pull thousands of threatened animal, plant and fungal species into illegal trade.

Online illegal wildlife trade poses risks to biodiversity: study

Online illegal wildlife trade poses significant risks to species, ecosystems, and animal and public health, according to a new international study led by the University of Helsinki. The study showed that online platforms -Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube- are fuellng a growing and hard-to-track wildlife trade, said the University of Helsinki in a press release on Friday. In just six weeks, researchers in mid-2025 found more than 1,600 pri…