[ [link removed] ]Photo of a bird, a male Philippine hornbill

The unique hornbill bird native to the Philippines is being illegally
traded on Facebook, pushing them to the brink of extinction and risking
untold damage to local ecosystems. Together, we can pile on the pressure
and call on Meta to crack down on hornbill traffickers:


[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

Right now hornbills in the Philippines are being illegally traded on
Facebook.

These unique creatures, known as “farmers of the forest” for their
important role in planting tree seeds across the forest floor, are facing
existential threats on multiple fronts: habitat loss, hunted for sport –
and being kidnapped and sold.

Hornbill traffickers often wait to poach birds when they’re at their most
vulnerable - while they’re nesting with their young in tree cavities
during breeding season, knowing they won’t be able to fly away. We won’t
let Meta sit back and just let this happen.

But there’s something we can do about this. The company already has a
policy against the live animal trade – it just has to meet its own
standards! So let’s ramp up the pressure and ask Meta to do just that by
deactivating the accounts of hornbill sellers!

[ [link removed] ]Tell Meta: crack down on the illegal hornbill trade.

Hornbills and the forest need each other. These birds play an important
ecological role of spreading seeds around the forest floor, ensuring other
species are able to enjoy the fruits from trees planted by farmer
hornbill. But caged in private households as exotic pets or used as wild
meat, the loss of these impressive birds would be devastating for the
forests they call home, with knock-on effects for biodiversity.

A new study shows how illegal traders on Facebook have been using sneaky
tactics to continue trading endangered hornbills for as little as $26,
such as misspelling words and using emojis to get around Facebook’s
flagging system for live wild animals.

But we know that Meta can be doing so much more. As a multi billion dollar
company, Meta has the resources to increase proactive monitoring efforts
to put an end to the illegal hornbill trade and protect these magnificent
animals.

[ [link removed] ]Take action: call on Meta to end its complicity with hornbill
trafficking.



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Miriam and the team at Ekō


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Online trade in Philippine hornbills threatens birds and forests Monga
Bay. 29 September 2023.
[ [link removed] ]Farmers of the Forest in Cages: The Online Trade of Hornbills in the
Philippines Traffic. 18 September 2023.

 

 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]