Singapore’s live bird trade is thriving on Facebook largely unlicensed, according to a new report from watchdog group TRAFFIC, which notes the persistence of the illicit pet trade despite clampdowns by local authorities and calls for a compulsory wildlife-pet registration system. Researchers tracked 44 Singapore-based Facebook groups selling wildlife between December 2018 and April 2019, and counted 662 unique traders, most of them unlicensed and therefore acting illegally. They recorded 3,354 live animals for sale, 99% of them birds. Some of these birds had been smuggled from abroad or poache…

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