- Online trade in protected endangered species continues to occur. Orangutans, tigers, elephants, pangolins , birds endemic to Sumatra, Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua continue to be targets for hunting and trade. Online sales models, such as on social media Facebook, are still an option for players.
- From 2015 – 2023, Garda Animalia data shows, there were around 113,608 advertisements from 12,597 seller accounts offering multi-species animals via Facebook. In the same period, at least 82,155 multi-species animals were successfully sold to 7,384 interested accounts. There are around 1,453 Facebook groups that accommodate this prohibited activity . Java Island is the region with the most Facebook groups.
- Research by Setyo Hari Sukoco from Budi University found that illegal wildlife trade is a large industry . In the trading process, find global market prices for wildlife. For example, a tiger bone is more than US $ 200, a pair of fangs is US $ 6,200-7,200 . A live adult tiger is US $ 50,000, a live tiger cub is US $ 3,200, and a whole skin is U $ 35,000.
- Data from the International Police (Interpol) states that the illegal wildlife trade continues to grow at 5-7% every year throughout the world. Indonesia is listed as the largest ' export ' country for wildlife products in the world, after Jamaica.
Online trade in protected endangered species continues to occur. Orangutans, tigers, elephants, pangolins, birds endemic to Sumatra, Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua continue to be targets for hunting and trade. Online sales models, such as on social media Facebook , are still an option for players.
traced the trade in protected wild animals through online sales on Facebook and found many personal accounts suspected of being collectors or sellers of animals such as orangutans, tigers, pangolins, Javanese langurs, and others.
From searches, accounts were found that were actively sharing photos or videos of animals with the status for sale. Some of them include guarantees accompanied by official documents.
Kang Tupai's account shows a photo of three wild cats or forest cats that are protected wildlife in Indonesia.
“Male female ad. Lok stabatt. Help Langkat's animal friends. Ready to send," he wrote in a post on Facebook April 11, 2023.
There is also a photo of a large pangolin in a circular position and being held in a hand, uploaded to the Rokim Pets account.
“TG kg. Rekber on. Just send around Java," he wrote on Facebook .
A locked Facebook account named Hars Shukla, on August 13 2023, also uploaded an orangutan with the status available.
“Orangutans in stock. "For more information and video please contact (picture from internet)," he said in an upload which was then commented on by several accounts.
also discovered Rio Dar's account. It was written that a baby orangutan would be ready on August 16 2023. Also, he also posted a rare endangered animal called the Latin prinodon linsang from the Bangka Belitung Islands on August 20 2023.
These rare and protected animals from Indonesia's forests continue to be threatened and are sold online.
Based on data from Garda Animalia, Facebook is still the social media platform of choice that continues to be used by collectors or sellers to trade multi-species to this day.
Although the number of Facebook groups used to sell animals is decreasing, the number sold is increasing.
From 2015-2023, there were around 113,608 advertisements from 12,597 seller accounts offering multi-species animals via Facebook . In the same period, at least 82,155 multi-species animals were successfully sold to 7,384 interested accounts. There are around 1,453 Facebook groups that accommodate this prohibited activity. Java Island is the region with the most Facebook groups .
Not only that, the majority or around 61% of the animal trade is small traders, the rest are enthusiasts, keepers and large traders.
They sell on average for IDR 1,139,232 per animal.
Meanwhile, West Java, said Garda Animalia, is the province identified with the most illegal wildlife trade activities on Facebook .
Robby Padma, Animal Trade Monitoring Coordinator at Garda Animalia, said that for collectors or sellers, Fecabook is still a social media with more guaranteed security than in animal markets. What's more, he said, there is ease in making transactions on Facebook .
Apart from that, he said, law enforcement officials have not been able to optimally detect wildlife trafficking crimes early through social media. The authorities, he said, also did not have an optimal multi-door approach in handling wildlife crime cases in order to provide a deterrent effect to the perpetrators.
It is not surprising that the authorities are often overwhelmed because syndicates are increasingly agile and sophisticated with local to global networks via social media.
Robby said that collectors or sellers continue to adapt to eliminate traces of crimes they commit against animals on social media, making it difficult for authorities to detect them.
"The illegal trade in wildlife still continues to occur on social media, especially Facebook ."
A study by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) together with the Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ) Indonesia Program, in April 2021-March 2022 found a similar thing. Facebook is the platform that facilitates this illegal activity the most.