Rhino Horn, Leopard Skin and Tiger Claws Sold Openly on Facebook - bellingcat
Rhino Horn, Leopard Skin and Tiger Claws Sold Openly on Facebook - bellingcat
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Ziyu Wan
Ziyu Wan is an open source investigator and member of the Belllingcat Volunteer Community, with interests in economic development, environment, conflict and human rights in Africa and Asia.
Foeke Postma
Foeke Postma works as a researcher and trainer at Bellingcat. He has a background in conflict analysis and resolution, and is particularly interested in military, environmental, and LGBT+ issues. Twitter: @foekepostma
Environmental Investigations Team
We investigate animal trafficking, ecosystem destruction and environmental crimes using open sources at Bellingcat.
Rhino Horn, Leopard Skin and Tiger Claws Sold Openly on Facebook
June 24, 2026
China
Environment
Warning: Includes graphic descriptions of animal harm and images of animal parts from the outset.
A Bellingcat investigation has uncovered a Myanmar-based wildlife trafficker who has operated openly across social media for at least six years, claiming to have sold tiger bones, rhino horn, elephant skin and other products from protected and endangered species to customers in Myanmar, China and Thailand.
By analysing hundreds of adverts and customer conversations, Bellingcat traced more than US$21,000 in sales, identified cross-border shipments linked to multiple payment accounts, and geolocated the dealer’s home address. The seller frequently used graphic images to convince buyers that his wildlife products were genuine, sharing footage of animals before and after they were killed as proof of authenticity.
Following this investigation, Meta removed 10 Facebook accounts, WeChat suspended three accounts and revoked their payment functions, TikTok and YouTube each removed one account, and authorities in Myanmar and Thailand said they would examine the findings further.
On December 21 2022, a Facebook account shared a reel of a tiger cub lying unconscious beneath the caption: “Time for winemaking”, followed by several laughing face emojis. Four days later, the same account shared another reel, this time of an adult tiger lying motionless on an orange plastic sheet as a man approaches with a knife.
Two separate videos posted to Facebook by the account known as MB.
The account behind both videos belongs to Mei Ba (hereafter MB), a self-described Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor based in Myanmar. In TCM, plants and animal products are used to prepare remedies based on established medicinal formulas. These remedies can take many forms, including herbal teas, simmered concoctions, ingredients steeped in wine, and pills. TCM is also sometimes associated with pseudoscientific beliefs, such as the idea that consuming an animal’s organ can nourish the corresponding organ in the human body.
A Bellingcat investigation has found that MB frequently advertises the trafficked parts of critically endangered and vulnerable species to customers in Myanmar, Thailand and China. An analysis of social media posts published by MB over six years found references to sales involving parts of bears, elephants, leopards, musk deer, otters, pangolins, rhinos, seahorses and tigers, all of which are protected species.
Screenshot of MB’s TikTok profile where he identifies himself as a TCM Doctor. Bottom: English translation by Bellingcat.
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Profiting from Protected Species
For at least six years, MB has used ten different Facebook accounts under versions of his name to advertise animal parts and products for sale, including those derived from vulnerable and protected species.
MB has advertised tiger body parts and products, including skins and wine made from bones. Myanmar’s wild tiger population was last estimated at a minimum of 22 animals (in a 2019 study published before the civil war). Licensed tiger farms, described as being similar to zoos, also operate in the country. However, Myanmar law prohibits the killing of any tiger, wild or captive.
Bellingcat has also identified adverts offering leopard body parts, including skin, bones and gallbladders, as well as a product described as a “whip”, a euphemism for a penis. Many of the adverts explicitly stated that the body parts came from wild animals. The Indochinese leopard is classified as critically endangered, with fewer than 800 mature individuals believed to remain in the wild across mainland South-East Asia.
Products as advertised by MB on Facebook. Left: wild leopard skin, Dec 2024; top right: wild leopard bones, Dec 2025; bottom right: leopard gallbladder, Dec 2022. Descriptions added by Bellingcat.
MB has advertised body parts and other products derived from Asian elephants, an endangered species,...