‘It shouldn’t be that easy’: inside the illegal wildlife trade booming on social media

Social media sites have become crucial tools for the sale of endangered species and platforms should do more to combat it, say experts

When the baby parrots were delivered to Alice Soares de Oliveira’s desk they had no feathers and could barely open their eyes. Housed in a dirty cardboard box, the pair were barely a month old, and showed signs of underfeeding.

The parrots – along with a pair of young toucans that arrived just under a month later – were victims of wildlife traffickers. Snatched by poachers, perhaps from their mother’s nest, they were all advertised for sale on social media.

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