Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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🚨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞?

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔 of our Explainer Series looks beyond algorithms and monetization to examine the international and U.S. laws designed to protect wildlife—and why researchers argue they’re being violated every day on social media.

🌍 In this episode, you’ll learn:
🐾 What CITES is and why it’s considered the world’s wildlife rulebook.
📜 How international agreements protect more than 40,000 species from illegal trade.
⚖️ How researchers argue wildlife trafficking on social media may conflict with international treaties and U.S. laws, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act.
🦜 Real-world examples of protected species allegedly being offered for sale online without the permits required under international law.
🦠 Why illegal wildlife trafficking is more than a conservation issue—it may also increase the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks by bypassing health and veterinary safeguards.

This episode asks an important question:

𝐈𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞?

🎥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔 to better understand the legal framework protecting wildlife—and why many researchers believe stronger enforcement is urgently needed.

💬 We’d love to hear your thoughts. What changes do you believe would make the biggest difference in stopping the illegal wildlife trade online?

#IllegalWildlifeTrade #WildlifeTrafficking #EndangeredSpecies #CITES #Conservation #ProtectWildlife #WildlifeCrime #StopWildlifeTrafficking #Biodiversity #OneHealth #Meta #BigCatRescue