Has social media become a digital circus for wildlife?
Amateur MMA fighter Cole Johnson recently attracted attention after a PR stunt claiming he could defeat a chimpanzee. His announcement sparked a flurry of posts, with content creators debating whether he could win, photoshopped memes showing chimpanzees in boxing gear, and AI-generated posters promoting the…
Why you still need to 'Report It!'
Social media enables animal lovers to share their passion online, however the popularity of animal 'content' has also given rise to a dark side, in which domestic animals and wildlife are cruelly exploited for the sake of clicks. This cruelty may cynically seek to elicit outrage responses, or…
Reports suggest Facebook has become wildlife trafficking's biggest marketplace
Three major reports released during 2026 paint a concerning picture of how social media platforms, particularly Meta's Facebook ecosystem, have become central to the global trade in threatened and protected species. Together, the reports argue that online wildlife trafficking is no longer simply a conservation issue.…
SMACC Global Summit united governments, organizations and professionals in a shared effort to end online animal cruelty.
Members of the Jane Goodall Institute Nepal and Global teams participated in the inaugural Social Media Animal Cruelty Global Summit (Bali, 11-12 June 2026). The summit, hosted by the Asia for Animals Coalition and Sintesia Animalia Indonesia, was…
Seeds of Hope at CITES CoP20
In this blog, JGI wildlife crime expert Dr Zara Bending shares some of her takeaways from CITES CoP20 (the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which took place from November 24th – December 5th in Samarkand,…
Zeytin: a baby gorilla waiting to go home
The Jane Goodall Institute Global (JGIG) expresses its deep concern and genuine hope regarding the future of Zeytin, a baby gorilla currently held in a Turkish zoo after being rescued from an illegal trafficking operation. Zeytin’s story is heartbreaking. He was found concealed in a cargo shipment…
Why we're asking you to 'Report It!'
Social media has enabled people to share about the things that matter to them and, with so many of us passionate about animals, it is wonderful to see a lot of animal content. However there is a darker side, in which both domestic animals and wildlife are being…
Looking into Species Laundering
Our previous blog covered the intersection of wildlife trafficking and money laundering. In this blog, Dr Zara Bending delves deeper into a topic currently attracting international scrutiny: species laundering.
What is species laundering and how does it happen? Species laundering is a deceptive practice employed by wildlife traffickers to make specimens…
3 March 2025 marks United Nations World Wildlife Day, focusing on Wildlife Conservation Finance
The 3rd of March marks United Nations World Wildlife Day. The date commemorates the conclusion of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (‘CITES’) in 1973 – a crucial multilateral agreement for wildlife aiming…
As 2024 ends, we feature some recent highlights of the advocacy and achievements of JGI Global and our partners.
Our founder Dr. Jane Goodall celebrated her 90th birthday this year but that has not slowed her down. Going from classrooms to CoPs, embassies to Glastonbury, and opera houses to Houses of Parliament and beyond, she…
Let's pull together to push back against all forms of Transnational Organized Crime
15th November 2024 marks the first ever International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) as proclaimed by UN General Assembly resolution 78/267. Today the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) marks this first international day of its kind…
Busy times in JGI's work to end wildlife trafficking
It's been a busy few weeks for our ForeverWild team and partners, as we take action on wildlife crime. Here are recent highlights. End Wildlife Crime Breakfast Symposium 11 October 2024 In the lead up to UNTOC CoP12 (Vienna, 14-18 October) the Jane Goodall Institute Global's…
