Airlines and social media not doing enough to stop illegal wildlife trade
Kenya Wildlife Service rangers guard illegal stockpiles of burning elephant tusks, ivory figurines and rhino horns at Nairobi National Park in 2016. There is growing alarm over accelerating extinction of endangered animal and plant species. PHOTO | AFP
Buyers are being offered more than 200 species of animals threatened with extinction or declining population on social media platforms by illegal wildlife traders. The animals are then transported by air out of Africa and in some instance, by boat.
According to a report a September report by the World Animal Protection titled Cargo of Cruelty, species ranging from African grey parrots to bats, the big cats to bush babies, the great apes to nocturnal owls, and majestic eagles to little-known chameleons and tortoises are being advertised on social media on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
