Researchers make disturbing discovery after analyzing thousands of social media videos — here's what you need to know

TikTok has changed the game of online sales and fueled the rise of businesses that don't typically reach a wide audience. 

However, not everything being advertised on there is a good thing. A group of researchers studying the wild animal meat trade in Togo and West Africa found cause for concern after taking a peek at the trade's social media presence, according to the Conversation. 

What's happening?

The international team combed through 80 TikTok videos from a recent 17-month period. Just within that sample, they counted over 3,500 dead animals for sale. 

At least 27 species were identified, including several that are threatened or at risk of extinction. Those included the white-bellied pangolin, Buffon's kob antelope, and the Defassa waterbuck, the Conversation reported. 

As the outlet explained, these videos had an alarmingly huge audience — almost 1.8 million views altogether. People interacting with the content showed enthusiasm for the trade and put in requests for other wild animals not shown in the posts, such as lions and elephants. 

Why is it important that this content is becoming popular? 

While selling wild animals to eat is not an uncommon practice in the region, it poses serious risks to local ecosystems. 

Overhunting any species can risk population decline, whether or not it is legal or the animal is protected. Over time, the people, plants, and animals that rely on the declining species can be thrown out of balance and struggle to survive. 

The boom on social media is only accelerating this process in West Africa. With the expanded access to customers, rural meat sellers are able to advertise directly to those living in cities. This seems to be reshaping the demand for the trade, which can also spread animal-to-human diseases, according to the Conversation.

What can be done about the wild animal meat trade?

The experts on the research team see clear ways to improve this situation. For starters, TikTok and similar platforms can improve their detection tools that flag these kinds of posts. With help from conservationists, videos selling endangered species should be removed, per the Conversation.

Similarly, governments can pass better regulations, strictly enforce policies, and educate people about the meat industry's harmful impacts. Further research would also help uncover more of the TikTok story, from how the videos legitimize the trade to how distribution works after an online sale is made, per the outlet.

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