Bangkok: Facebook parent Meta is facing renewed scrutiny after conservation groups accused its platforms of allowing illegal wildlife trafficking to flourish, with endangered animals and wildlife products including monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins being openly advertised for sale.

The allegations come in a report released on Monday by NGOs including Freeland, Education for Nature Vietnam and International Wildlife Trust, which described Meta as hosting the world's 'largest single known illegal wildlife trade market'.

The report also claimed the company indirectly incentivises such activity by allowing content creators to earn advertising revenue and subscriptions.

An AFP review of public Facebook accounts found multiple listings offering protected wildlife, including dead pangolins stripped of their scales, monitor lizards, monkeys and rhino horn.

In many cases, sellers avoided posting prices publicly, instead asking interested buyers to contact them via private messages.

The findings build on earlier research by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), which identified more than 20,000 online advertisements for over 260,000 wildlife products between April 2024 and March 2026.

Nearly three-quarters of those listings were found on Facebook, with many remaining online despite being reported.

Researchers and conservationists said Meta's existing policies banning the sale of endangered species have failed to curb the trade.

They also warned that recommendation algorithms can amplify illegal listings by directing users who interact with such content to similar accounts and posts.

Meta declined to comment on the allegations but pointed to its policies restricting the sale of endangered wildlife.

The company recently joined 10 other technology firms in a renewed pledge to combat online wildlife trafficking.

However, conservation groups argue that previous commitments have yielded little progress and have called for stronger enforcement and greater accountability.