Report finds rampant illegal animal trade on Alibaba's second-hand platform

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The online trade of nationally protected animals appears to be rife on Xianyu, Alibaba's app for second-hand goods, reported Xinhua News Agency on Friday.

Protected animals like the white-tailed sea eagle, golden parakeet and leopards were found on the app.

Screenshots of a nationally-protected eagle and leopard cat on Xianyu. /Xinhua Photo

After a tip-off from one of the app's users, the Shenzhen Forest Police in south China's Guangdong Province launched an investigation into the selling of a white-tailed sea eagle, which is listed as a first class national protected animal in China.

Another user disclosed the sale of wild ocelots on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo. The wild ocelot is on the State Forestry Administration's list of protected animals because of its important ecological, scientific and social value.

The reporter found that an ocelot is priced at 6,000 yuan (about 876 US dollars) under a description that read, "Purebred Asian leopard, expensive but good-looking."

Although some Xianyu users have reported the illegal sales of protected animals many times, many sellers are still using the platform for their operations.

Page showing the "item" – two golden parakeets – indicating they have been sold. /Xinhua Photo

The same seller had previously sold other animals including raccoons and parrots, according to the user's list of sold items. The reporter discovered two golden parakeets were shipped to a buyer in Shanghai for 4,200 yuan (about 613 US dollars) in April. The most expensive animals were an Asian leopard and a parrot, both of which went for more than 10,000 yuan (about 68,460 US dollars).

The seller sent a photo of a butterfly specimen and details about how it was preserved to the reporter. /Xinhua Photo

Although it is illegal and a serious violation to trade endangered animals on Xianyu, it is still pretty easy to exploit loopholes for those profits chasers.

Users won't be able to find the animals when searching for them using Chinese characters. However, when the reporter typed in the names of endangered animals using pinyin, or the phonetic alphabet, results showed up.

For example, when the reporter searched for the term "two tail swallowtail butterflies," a seller showed up with a blurred picture of the "item." When the reporter inquired about the price, the seller then sent a clearer picture, along with details that confirmed that it was a second class national protected animal.

Xianyu App's cartoon advertising picture /Weibo Photo

Speaking about the illegal trade of animals on the app, Qiu Baochang, president of the Beijing Society of E-Commerce Law, said that the platform had not fulfilled its obligation to strictly review content. Qiu suggested buyers should also bear corresponding responsibilities if they participate in illegal transactions.

"Trading in the animals is not only dangerous from a legal standpoint but also in terms of the harmfulness of the creatures," said an expert from Guangdong Wildlife Association. Due to the lack of formal quarantine and disinfection, it is easy to cause the spread of diseases, viruses and epidemics when shipped.

A 21-year-old woman from Weinan in the northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi was declared brain dead in July after being bitten by a snake bought online.