The Illegal Internet Wildlife Trade (4-Minute Video)

The illegal online wildlife trade, primarily through social media, of both live exotic pets and products such as ivory, rhino horn, tiger bones and pangolin scales is expanding.

Wildlife consultant Dr Dan Stiles, while researching the illegal trade in great apes, found that millions of dollars worth of illegal wildlife was being sold online annually by traffickers.

He discovered that massive networks based in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia were supplying markets in the Middle East, the countries of the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, and China.

Tracking down and prosecuting these traffickers is not that simple, as these platforms are considered neutral intermediaries and cannot be held responsible.