The profile of consumers driving demand for "biological drug-related" products advertised on the dark web remains unclear, but Dr Cassey told SBS News he suspected that “it's that sort of exploratory consumer".
"But an awareness that these products are being sold, and that there is pressure on these species for the sale, I think is important."Animals were traded for a range of use-types, including clothing , drugs, decorative purposes, pets, medicine and food, the study said. The toad is in demand due to the poison in its parotid glands, which contains 5-MeO-DMT, a compound that is used as a psychedelic drug.Mark Newman/Getty Images
"We were looking to find trade in wildlife, mostly of illegal products on the dark web, which we did, but the sort of things that you associate with popular wildlife trade markets, the big ticket items, like rhino horns, big cat bones, elephant ivory, pangolin scales, we didn't find in large numbers," he said.