A series of shocking advertisements have appeared online, promoting the sale of tiger, white lions and cheetah cubs.
The ads, which are mostly targeted at Australians, have raised concerns among wildlife advocates after appearing on classified sites and social media.
According to Yahoo News, one of the sellers in Istanbul, Turkey, was offering white lion and white tiger cubs for AU $1,700 (£931) and AU $1,550 (£849) respectively.
Advert
The publication reached out to another seller, who claimed they could send exotic animals to Sydney or Melbourne from the Middle East - even if the purchase isn't for a zoo.
A concerned Facebook user alerted Donalea Patman, founder of animal welfare charity For the Love of Wildlife, who decided to contact a seller herself.
She was told they had delivered cubs to Melbourne back in 2012 and could do the same for her, even claiming they could declaw cheetah cubs before sending them.
In a WhatsApp message to Patman, the seller wrote: "We know all the importation requirements of Australia.
Advert
"If you are a private zoo owner, it makes it even more easier to import white lion cubs. All we need are your names and delivery address so that we can document and ship to you."
The charity founder then forwarded these messages to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, which in turn referred them to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), processing the information as part of its Scamwatch division.
An ACCC spokesperson said: "The Department of Agriculture has informed Scamwatch of these ads, however to date we have not received any reports regarding these websites or scams involving similar exotic animals."
Advert
While the spokesperson went on to explain that they 'are and will continue to monitor Scamwatch reports', there's no news on whether there is an ongoing investigation into the ads.
Patman took to Facebook on Tuesday (25 August) to slam the scammers who advertise the sale of exotic animals in Australia.
She wrote: "The sale of exotic pets on these sites drives the desire to own these animals - we're in lockdown and people are trolling through these platforms thinking that it is OK to buy and own exotic pets.
"One seller stating that all their big cats are declawed!
Advert
"Whilst we focus on wet markets in China, the biggest issue is the global LEGAL trade in endangered species."
Featured Image Credit: FacebookTopics: Animals