Online marketplaces have become an important venue for illegal wildlife trade, allowing sellers to reach large audiences while using coded language and other tactics to avoid detection. A joint investigation by Mongabay and investigative journalism collective Bellingcat (read their version here) revealed how Facebook groups in Indonesia were being used to advertise protected wildlife, spotlighting gaps in the platform’s enforcement of its rules against animal trade.

Published in March 2026, the investigation identified nine Indonesian Facebook groups with a combined membership of more than 70,000 people where reporters found evidence of wildlife being offered for sale.

Among the animals advertised were protected species, including a rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) and Javan silvery gibbons (Hylobates moloch). Reporters also documented traders using coded language, including shorthand for wild-caught animals and codes for prices, apparently to reduce the risk of detection.

The investigation also linked some advertisements to a pet store near Jakarta. Mongabay and Bellingcat presented their findings to Indonesian forestry officials, who pledged to investigate.

Impact

Following the investigation, Facebook parent company Meta closed all nine groups identified by the reporters. Meta said it removed the groups and associated profiles for violating its Restricted Goods and Services Policy.

The reporting showed that some of the groups had operated for years despite Meta’s restrictions on animal sales, highlighting gaps in enforcement on the platform.

The investigation was also followed by action from Indonesian authorities. After Mongabay and Bellingcat presented their findings to forestry officials, who pledged to investigate, a provincial conservation agency inspected the pet store linked to the network. Inspectors did not find protected species during the visit, but officials subsequently placed the store on a watchlist and warned its manager that selling protected wildlife is a criminal offense.

The removal eliminated groups that had connected wildlife sellers with tens of thousands of Facebook users.

The investigation also received wider media attention, including coverage by ABC Australia, extending awareness of how social media can facilitate the illegal wildlife trade.

Together, the responses show how investigative reporting can provide platforms and public authorities with evidence they can act on. In this case, Mongabay and Bellingcat’s reporting led to the removal of nine Facebook groups and increased scrutiny from wildlife authorities in Indonesia.

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Banner image: Station Sato sells owls, these belonging to an unprotected species. Image by Achmad Rizki Muazam/Mongabay Indonesia.