KATHMANDU — Wildlife trafficking for the illegal pet trade in Nepal has made a significant shift online, according to recent research that attributes the trend to the rapid penetration of smartphones, social media and online payment systems across Nepali society. The findings, based on year-long research led by Reshu Bashyal from environmental NGO Greenhood Nepal, also suggests the country, previously seen as a source and transit point for wildlife trafficking, could soon emerge as a destination country. “We see that with the advent of mobile phones and social media, illegal trade in wild animals as pets has gone digital,” Bashyal said at a session to share the preliminary findings of the research into the illegal pet trade in the region. “Our initial findings suggest that economic growth in South Asia, including Nepal, in recent years is leading to increased connectivity and movement of goods, including wildlife,” she said. Pigeons being sold at a temple in Nepal. Image by Abhaya Raj Joshi/ Mongabay. The objective of the research, conducted between October 2022 and June 2023, was to identify emerging trends and drivers and assess governance gaps. It also looked at the species traded and mapped key trafficking routes, said researcher Ashmita Shrestha, also from Greenhood Nepal. Nearly three in four Nepali adults uses a smartphone, according to the 2020 census, and about half the population is on Facebook, the country’s most popular social media site, according to analytics firm NapoleonCat. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Viber are also widely popular.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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