A female chimpanzee was briefly listed for sale on Maltapark, the Maltese e-commerce platform. The advert, uploaded by a user under the name “wernermaserkopf,” invited potential buyers to get in touch via email or WhatsApp using a Maltese phone number. The same user has also previously advertised other exotic animals, including baby baboons, marmosets and capuchin monkeys.

Maltapark is widely used across the island for property, cars, jobs and second-hand goods, but it has increasingly been used as a platform for unregulated animal sales.