For greater than a decade, one nameless wildlife seller has been promoting uncommon and endangered animals to 1000’s of followers on-line. However regardless of posting a prolific variety of movies yearly, they’ve remained virtually unattainable to hint.
In 2022, with the assistance of Bellingcat contributors Darcy White and Chris Osieck, we managed to determine that they had been working out of Malaysia. We additionally had a reputation. However to make sure of their id, we would have liked extra proof.
Revisiting the case this yr, we lastly discovered extra corroborating proof– all because of a single criticism posted by an offended buyer demanding his a reimbursement.
To restrict additional amplification of his enterprise, Bellingcat has blurred all handles and abbreviated his username to “BK.”
The Supplier
From birds to reptiles to primates– together with lions, leopards, tiger cubs, home cats, weasels, raccoons, and donkeys– there seems to be no restrict to the vary of animals BK will site visitors for revenue.
Promoting on-line, BK often implies that they’re in Malaysia. All their posts are in Malay, as are their prospects’ feedback. Their full username references a area in Malaysia. Their cellphone quantity could lack a rustic code, however its true Truecaller entry signifies Malaysia.
Selling the shopping for or promoting of any reside animal on Fb, TikTok, Instagram, or WhatsApp violates platform pointers. In Malaysia, it’s unlawful to advertise the sale of wildlife as a enterprise and not using a license, carrying a penalty of as much as 5 years in jail.
We reached out to BK on all their social media accounts, to ask whether or not they function with a license or not. By way of their Telegram account, which is registered to the one quantity they promote in all of their adverts, they briefly replied: “Sorry u flawed particular person.” We additionally tried to contact them through a Gmail tackle matching their full username, however obtained no response.
We contacted Malaysia’s Wildlife Crime Bureau, a department of the Royal Malaysia Police, in addition to the Ministry of Biodiversity and Forestry, asking if BK is registered as a licensed seller. On the time of publication, neither authority had responded.
Even when BK has a license, questions as to why they really feel the necessity to function below an alias additionally stay unanswered.
BK was equally unresponsive when requested about adverts associated to susceptible and endangered species, together with this clouded leopard. With solely 1000’s left within the wild their numbers are quickly declining.
In accordance with Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act, possessing or dealing in any wildlife listed as “completely protected” requires a particular license for every particular person animal. Maintaining one clouded leopard, for instance, and not using a allow carries a tremendous of as much as RM500,000 (US$112,000) and a jail sentence of as much as fifteen years.
When proven BK’s adverts, Eugénie Pimont, a Wildlife Cybercrime Officer at IFAW (Worldwide Fund for Animal Welfare) instantly expressed concern concerning the circumstances by which the animals had been being held.
“You don’t should be an professional to know that clouded leopards, which are thought-about ‘susceptible’ to extinction, like this one within the picture, haven’t any place in a tiny, barren cage,” she stated. “These animals belong within the wild, but as a substitute, they’re trapped in cramped, depressing circumstances the place many undergo and die from stress, harm, or neglect.”
BK has additionally beforehand marketed gibbons, one other “completely protected species”. All gibbon species are both susceptible or endangered. The pet commerce, which frequently entails taking infants from their moms, has been recognized as a big issue within the decline of this species.
On Fb, whereas BK’s most important account has 3,500 mates, they’re additionally the admin for a number of teams, considered one of which is dedicated to the commerce of unique animals. Its banner picture–considered one of BK’s personal adverts–options an toddler dusky leaf monkey, one more endangered and “protected species” below Malaysian Legislation, discovered solely on the Malay Peninsula.
But regardless of BK’s appreciable on-line presence, they’re cautious to maintain their id and site hidden.
BK directs all of their prospects to a single cellphone quantity, conducting their enterprise on WhatsApp. They embody solely close-up photos of the animals of their adverts, making them almost unattainable to geolocate. Additionally they often share screenshots of their conversations with prospects, together with movies of them unboxing their animals for the primary time.
Such movies are a core a part of BK’s promoting technique and have helped them construct a status as a reliable vendor.
By analysing the shoppers’ movies, we geolocated one picture to Bangkok, Thailand.
Provided that this geolocation suggests BK could also be working over the border, we contacted Thailand’s CITES Administration Authority workplace for remark. (CITES is a world settlement between governments geared toward guaranteeing that the commerce of untamed animals and crops doesn’t threaten their survival). They responded saying they’d assessment the case, however provided no additional remarks.
Regardless of geolocating considered one of BK’s prospects’ movies, we had been no nearer to confirming their id or place of operation.
One Account, Two Names
Trawling BK’s Fb profile, deep within the feedback, we discovered a tagged account named “Noor Hasni B.”
Hovering over the username “Noor Hasni B,” a pop-up appeared, displaying the profile “BK,” indicating that the 2 accounts had been truly one in the identical.
In some unspecified time in the future, the account “Noor Hasni B” should have been renamed to BK.
Trying additional again in BK’s profile historical past, we realised this had occurred a number of instances: wherever the username “Noor Hasni B” was tagged, hovering over it revealed the profile “BK.”
Provided that the newest (and ultimate) occasion of “Noor Hasni B” being tagged was in August 2016, it’s probably that the profile identify was modified shortly afterwards.
The “B” in each BK and “Noor Hasni B” stands for a similar factor, although we’re not publishing the complete identify of both account to restrict additional amplification.
A seek for variants of the username Noor Hasni B then led us to a PDF file hosted on the G-Shock Fan Membership Malaysia web site, an unofficial group web site for watch fanatics.
The doc contains dozens of membership members who signed up between 2015 and 2017, itemizing their full names and Fb consumer profiles. Amongst them, the username “Noor Hasni B” seems alongside the complete identify Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan.
In Could 2016, BK– who sometimes solely posts animal adverts– uncharacteristically made 5 Fb posts in a single month about G-Shock watches.
Who’s Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan?
Older Fb posts verify a connection between BK and one other consumer, Putra Klang.
Putra Klang’s full username is Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzwan). Translated from Malay, Putra means son or prince, and Klang is a metropolis and district in Malaysia.
In 2011, Putra Klang posted a Fb life occasion marking his first assembly with BK–who, as a number of tagged feedback counsel, was recognized on the time as “Noor Hasni B.”
Reviewing his previous posts, together with these associated to family and friends, makes it clear Putra Klang and Noor Hasni B had kids collectively.
In 2014, three years after they met, Putra Klang started posting wildlife adverts.
We reached out to BK throughout all platforms, asking whether or not they’re the creator of the account Putra Klang and if their actual identify is Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan. We additionally tried to contact them through a Gmail tackle matching their full username. This Google account was used final yr to go away a assessment for an optical retailer in Klang, Malaysia, and was additionally probably used to create a Pinterest account, once more matching BK’s full username. We obtained no reply through electronic mail. The one response got here through Telegram and acknowledged simply: “Sorry u flawed particular person”.
Regardless of establishing robust hyperlinks between the identify Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan and all three usernames–BK, Putra Klang, and Noor Hasni B, we nonetheless had no proof of the precise location of the account operator in Malaysia–till one very offended buyer started posting on Fb.
A Selfie, A Cage, and A Buyer Criticism
Two years later, with few new leads because the preliminary investigation into BK started, Bellingcat found a criticism. Posted on Fb, the shopper’s feedback not solely corroborated our earlier findings however enabled us to geolocate a number of images, suggesting a connection between BK’s operation and a single home.
Posting screenshots of their WhatsApp dialog on Fb, the shopper claims he paid BK for an animal that by no means arrived.
BK’s reply says there have been points with the supply. However after a lot forwards and backwards, BK stops responding, at which level the shopper threatens to “go viral.”
The client then proceeds to publish 37 photos throughout a number of wildlife teams– together with images of BK’s home, his household, and a number of other paperwork, a few of which embody blurred financial institution particulars– all calling BK “a scammer”.
Most of the particulars posted by the shopper corroborated our preliminary findings.
The client claims that BK’s full identify is Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan, which matches the identify within the G-Shock Fan Membership Malaysia PDF, in addition to the URL and full username of Putra Klang’s Fb account. He alleges BK’s most important Fb account used to belong to his ex-wife, below the username Noor Hasni B, earlier than BK took it over. He additionally shares images of what he claims to be BK’s home.
The client says he bought the tackle from fee particulars given to him by BK. He then went to the property, took images, and posted them on-line to place strain on BK.
Regardless of the shopper blurring the home quantity and never posting the precise tackle, we had been in a position to geolocate the home in Klang, Malaysia.
We then matched this identical home and geolocation to a selfie posted by Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzwan) on Fb in 2013.
The earliest date accessible in Google Avenue View is from 2017, however it could possibly nonetheless be used to match most of the particulars within the selfie posted by Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzuan).
We then confirmed the identical tackle by the use of a cage, which is seen in each Google Avenue View and a photograph posted by BK in his unique animals Fb group, of which he’s the only real administrator.
Google Avenue View, March 2019, the cage will be seen as soon as once more, however with out the pink paint.
This single home, together with its cage, is flagged a number of instances as a attainable location in BK’s operation– by way of the offended buyer’s criticism, the geolocated selfie posted by Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzwan), and the cage seen in each the Google Avenue View and the advert posted by BK in his unique animals Fb group.
Given BK’s clear breach of the principles on the social media platforms on which he operates, Bellingcat contacted them for remark. TikTok stated it had eliminated BK’s account for “violating our pointers.” Meta additionally suspended BK’s Fb and Instagram accounts, telling Bellingcat: “Unhealthy actors continually evolve their techniques to keep away from enforcement, which is why we associate with teams just like the World Wildlife Fund and spend money on instruments and expertise to detect and take away violating content material.”
Nevertheless, inside hours of the platforms taking down BK’s content material, he was again up, posting animal adverts on a brand new account merely referred to as BK.2
We contacted TikTok once more, which then suspended BK.2’s account. Stating how simply BK had reinstated his enterprise, TikTok responded, “We implement our insurance policies by way of a mix of automated and human moderation.” Final October, TikTok introduced a shift in direction of larger use of AI in content material moderation, after Reuters reported that the corporate had laid off tons of of staff in Malaysia, most of whom had been concerned within the agency’s content material moderation operations.
On the time of publication, Telegram had not responded.
After reviewing BK’s adverts, Eugénie Pimont, a Wildlife Cybercrime Officer at IFAW, stated, “This merciless and exploitative trafficking not solely causes immense struggling on wild animals but additionally threatens the survival of many species.”
Given her issues, we contacted Malaysia’s Wildlife Crime Bureau, a department of the Royal Malaysia Police, for remark. We additionally reached out to the Ministry for Biodiversity and Forestry, which oversees native CITES enforcement, and the Royal Malaysia Customs Border Management division. On the time of publication, not one of the authorities had responded.
Further reporting by Chris Osieck, Darcy White and Carlos Gonzales.
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