Chinese-language videos promote wildlife trade linked to Laos

The story in brief

What you need to know

• Mongabay says one influencer had posted 96 wildlife-trade-related videos since August 2025. The investigation also describes videos depicting or promoting wildlife sales and consumption, but it does not quantify the total volume of such content across the platforms.1
• Mongabay sent Tencent screenshots of 24 pangolin videos found on WeChat Channels. By publication, it reported that seven had been removed and that new videos were still appearing.1
• Tencent told Mongabay that it investigates flagged content and may remove it or restrict accounts. The reporting does not assess platform-wide removal rates or moderation outcomes.1
• A 2022 study combined observations and interviews in the Golden Triangle and Boten special economic zones. Its authors reported persistent wildlife trade and some movement from open sale to online social media.2
• The video investigation and the field study offer different kinds of evidence: one searched public social-media content, while the other examined trade in two locations. The field study cautions against generalising its findings to other special economic zones.12

Conservation context

Why this matters

The reporting identifies social media as a channel through which wildlife trade is shown or promoted in Laos. But it does not establish whether viewers go on to buy or consume wildlife, or whether the videos increase demand.12

The developing story

What happens next

The reporting leaves unresolved what happened to the submitted videos and accounts after publication, and how consistently platforms enforce their rules. Assessing the scale of the issue would also require evidence beyond the reported searches and the two study locations.12

Established evidence

What we know

• Mongabay’s searches surfaced hundreds of videos it describes as promoting sales of endangered wildlife in Laos.1
• The investigation documented pangolin videos and reported the removal of seven of 24 examples submitted to Tencent by publication.1
• Fieldwork in the Golden Triangle and Boten found wildlife trade persisted, including some trade shifting to online social media.2

Open questions

What we don't know

• The reporting does not specify enough about the search period, accounts, results or screening process to establish how representative the video examples are.1
• It is not clear what proportion of the videos directly facilitated transactions rather than documenting or discussing wildlife trade.1
• The sources do not establish whether exposure to the posts leads to purchases, consumption or increased demand.1
• The reporting does not establish the later status of the 24 submitted videos or accounts, or how consistently platform rules are enforced.1

Source coverage

Read the reporting