Groups Warn of Social Media Trade in Primates

The internet's exotic-pet problem also extends to humans' closest living relatives. A new report from three major conservation groups finds more than 1,600 live primates, including chimpanzees, were advertised for sale on US social media over just six weeks in mid-2025, despite platform rules banning such trade, per the Guardian. Researchers with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the World Wildlife Fund tracked 1,131 posts from 122 users on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, often using search terms like "monkey rehoming" and "adoption" to find them.

The listings, typically framed as rescues or rehomings, covered 12 types of primates, from macaques and marmosets to spider monkeys and lemurs, with prices ranging from $250 to $6,500. Many were babies or young animals, which the report says are frequently taken from mothers in the wild and face trauma and death en route. The mothers and other relatives are often killed by poachers, per People. With about 60% of primate species already at risk of extinction, experts say the online trade is piling on pressure while posing public-health and safety risks. They're calling for tighter federal laws, tougher enforcement, and better tools to flag and remove wildlife sales from social media before demand climbs further.