A study published in the June issue of One Health analysed Facebook posts from 2018 to 2022. Researchers looked at five Facebook pages in Côte d’Ivoire and one in Nigeria and found many different bushmeat species for sale.
Almost two-thirds of the animals were advertised as smoked, and others were sold fresh, cooked or alive. Five of the six pages told customers to use WhatsApp for private messages, while others used Facebook Messenger. The study says these methods seem designed to avoid detection and make regulation harder. The researchers warn this trend could harm biodiversity and raise the risk of diseases that pass from animals to people.
Difficult words
- analyse — Look at information carefully to find meaninganalysed
- bushmeat — Wild animals hunted and sold for people to eat
- smoke — Cook or preserve food using burning wood or firesmoked
- advertise — Tell people that a product or service is for saleadvertised
- regulation — Official rules made by a government or authority
- biodiversity — Variety of different plants and animals in nature
- disease — An illness that affects people or animalsdiseases
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever seen animals for sale online in your country?
- Why might selling bushmeat online increase the risk of diseases?
- What simple actions could help protect biodiversity in your area?
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