Online auctioneer eBay_s latest scandal centers on illegal trade in tortoise goods and other endangered wildlife products.

When environmental activist Gary Appelson logged onto eBay and typed in the words "tortoise shell" at the search prompt earlier this month, he was shocked by what he found. More than 50 auctions were listed -- featuring sea turtle shell hair ornaments, glasses, cases and even a guitar pick -- and most of them were illegal. After making the discovery, Appelson -- who works for the Caribbean Conservation Corp. in Gainesville, Fla., -- contacted eBay and Bob Snow, a special agent with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office near San Francisco. Perhaps the most unseemly item that has surfaced was posted on April 12 with the subject line: "frozen baby white tiger." The description posted by the seller reported that the tiger in question was a stillborn offspring from the brood of Las Vegas entertainers Siegfried and Roy, who incorporate endangered white tigers of India into their nightly act at the Mirage. (The tiger actually came from a Las Vegas breeder with no connection to the famous illusionists, according to federal authorities.) The tiger sold for $750 to a buyer in Little Rock, Ark., before an agent from U.S. Fish and Wildlife intervened. EBay has already banned all trade in wildlife on its site, and it is anxious to stop these illicit auctions -- many of which are prohibited under the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which forbids the sale of listed species across state lines. But those efforts may be complicated by the company's desire to remain a laissez-faire virtual flea market. At any given time, eBay hosts approximately three million auctions, with roughly 400,000 new items and $8 million in trades executed every day. EBay makes no effort to screen those new auctions in advance. With 7.7 million registered users, the eBay community has a population larger than New York. EBay received a lot of press last September when it stopped an auction involving a human kidney that was set to be sold for $5.7 million. But the recent discovery of the sea turtle and tiger sales underscores a continuing problem for the Internet_s premiere bazaar: The site has become a popular refuge for illegal wildlife transactions.