Facebook purges ads for illegal wildlife in Southeast Asia as online trade surges

An undated screenshot taken by WWF of a Facebook page selling wildlife is seen written in Burmese in Myanmar, obtained August 5, 2020. Facebook has removed hundreds of profiles and posts associated with the sale of illegal wildlife in Southeast Asia in recent weeks, according to animal protection groups. However, campaigners say the company faces a daunting challenge fighting a surge online, which trade experts have linked to the spread of zoonotic diseases like the one from the novel coronavirus. Courtesy of World Wide Fund for Nature/Handout via REUTERS

YANGON (Reuters) - An ad showing a civet cat cowering in a cage being offered for sale on Facebook was just one of hundreds that the social media giant has removed in a crackdown on Southeast Asia's illegal wildlife trade during recent weeks.

"Not too wild, not too-well behaved. If interested, call..." the seller wrote on the post, using an account in Myanmar, a major source and transit point for the trade in wild animals.