SINGAPORE – The market for illegal wildlife and animal parts in Singapore has generally gone underground in the last decade, following raids by the authorities on shops selling parts of endangered animals as amulets or medicine.

Last week, a man who did not want to be identified told The Straits Times that the illicit trade, which breaches the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), is thriving in the virtual world.

In late July, he received a message on WhatsApp from a person who was trying to sell more than 20 parts of endangered animals.

The seller showed photos of items such as tiger fur, teeth and claws. He also had bear teeth, a stuffed bird of paradise and leopard cat, and boar tusks for sale.

He was asking for $200 for a piece of tiger fur roughly twice the size of an adult’s palm. A bifold wallet stitched with tiger fur had a price tag of $360.

The seller assured the man, whom he had known for more than six years on WhatsApp, that such items normally “sold quickly” and there was no risk or harm to the environment.

“If we are caught (by the authorities), just say that the animal parts were inherited a long time ago,” the seller told the man, who declined his offer.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said it regularly monitors physical and online marketplaces, and takes swift enforcement actions.

Since 2019, it has caught eight people selling endangered species, including their parts and derivatives.

Among them was a 23-year-old man who was fined $9,000 in 2020 for trying to sell an endangered false gharial, a type of freshwater crocodile, over Telegram.

He was arrested by an NParks officer after handing over the animal for inspection.

In 2022, the board introduced several amendments to the Endangered Species Act, including stiffer penalties for illegal trade in Cites-protected species.

Such trade threatens the survival of endangered species and “contributes to habitat destruction” worldwide, said a spokesman for NParks.

“Singapore is a signatory to Cites and is committed to international efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade to ensure the long-term survival of these animals.”

Yet, the prospect of being fined has not deterred some people from dealing in wildlife over social media and e-commerce platforms, as well as online messaging channels like Telegram.

In the past two weeks, ST found amulets, which purportedly contain tiger skin, being advertised on Facebook for Singapore collectors.

On Telegram, live animals such as non-native geckos, snakes and sugar gliders are peddled, with cash on delivery to be made here.

On the Internet, elephant tusks going for $5,500, and cheaper fox skin and fur as well as stuffed pheasants – which may be from endangered animals in some countries – are being sold in Singapore currency.

According to Traffic, an anti-wildlife trafficking non-governmental organisation, detecting the illegal trade online is perhaps the easiest part, as “the more you look, the more you will find”.

Said Ms Elizabeth John, its communications manager: “The biggest challenge for enforcement is detecting who and where the perpetrators are, and where they are holding the wildlife and parts, given the access, anonymity and privacy that closed and private platforms provide for sellers and buyers of wildlife.

“Many traders also use evasive techniques such as new code words or private messaging to avoid detection.”

Some methods used by sellers include smuggling the contraband in packages marked as toys, and dealing with only one person during the transaction.

Other dealers use the self-deleting function on WhatsApp that wipes out the messages exchanged between buyer and seller.

“It is more difficult to track and trace. Often the only solution is to carry out a digital investigation involving the police and regulators, and to engage with and get the private companies and service providers on board with the effort,” said Ms John.

“Online monitoring studies in various South-east Asian countries by Traffic cover just a small portion of the online trade, and already we find so much being offered for sale. Much of this violates national laws and/or platform policies.”

She noted that South-east Asia plays a big role in the international illegal wildlife trade, acting as source, transit point and consumer.

NParks has adopted a multi-pronged approach to fight the war, which includes targeting illicit financial and asset flows and working with international partners.

“We will continue our surveillance and enforcement efforts, but would like to urge the public to play their part by not purchasing wildlife parts and products,” said the spokesman.

People can contact NParks at cites@nparks.gov.sg if they encounter any signs of illegal wildlife trade.