Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Wildlife traffickers selling protected animals on Facebook are using coded language to evade the platform’s moderation systems. Research by Bellingcat and Mongabay has identified nine groups, with more than 70,000 members combined, leading back to six profiles and one broker in Indonesia.
Buying and selling of animals on its platforms is prohibited on Facebook. However, in the nine groups identified by Bellingcat, animals have been traded in plain sight for years, including wild and protected species.
Read the full investigation here: bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/19/how-wildlife-traffickers-are-using-coded-language-to-sell-protected-animals-on-facebook/?utm_source=youtube
Wildlife traffickers selling protected animals on Facebook are using coded language to evade the platform’s moderation systems. Research by Bellingcat and Mongabay has identified nine groups, with more than 70,000 members combined, leading back to six profiles and one broker in Indonesia.
Buying and selling of animals on its platforms is prohibited on Facebook. However, in the nine groups identified by Bellingcat, animals have been traded in plain sight for years, including wild and protected species.
Read the full investigation here: bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/19/how-wildlife-traffickers-are-using-coded-language-to-sell-protected-animals-on-facebook/?utm_source=youtube
