Having been blamed for everything from breaking up marriages to Crystal Swing, the internet is now being accused of becoming a major threat to endangered species.

Will the internet help send some animals the way of the dodo?

Conservationists say the web has emerged as one of the biggest threats to endangered species as it’s now “easier than ever before” to buy and sell anything from live baby lions to polar bear pelts on auction sites and chatrooms. The BBC reports that the findings were presented at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), which is meeting in Doha, Qatar.

“The internet is becoming the dominant factor overall in the global trade in protected species,” said Paul Todd of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. According to Todd, thousands of endangered species are regularly traded on the internet, with both buyers and sellers taking advantage of the mass market and indeed anonymity the web provides.

Those trying to police illegal sales say the size of problem is almost impossible to estimate. They say the US is the biggest market, but that Europe, China, Russia and Australia also play a large part.

Elsewhere at the conference, delegates voted to ban all international trade in a rare type of Iranian salamander, the Kaiser’s Spotted Newt, which the World Wildlife Fund says has been devastated by the internet trade. “However, more high-profile attempts to ban trade in polar bears, bluefin tuna and rare corals have all failed, leaving environmental activists dismayed,” added the BBC.