App aims to crowdsource intelligence about the illegal wildlife trade by having users report and photograph suspicious activity
Australian travellers in south-east Asia are being encouraged to report illegal wildlife trafficking using a new app. Wildlife Witness, launched on Wednesday at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, aims to crowdsource intelligence about the illegal wildlife trade by having users report and photograph suspicious activity and pin its general location on a public map.
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| Taronga’s zoo’s sun bear, Mr Hobbs, was stolen as a cub and sold to a restaurant in Cambodia. He was rescued when an Australian businessman reported the restaurant to authorities. Photograph: Madeleine Smitham |
More specific co-ordinates and a detailed report of the incident are passed onto the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, for further analysis. Credible reports will be referred to local law enforcement.
“The illegal wildlife trade is now estimated to be worth just under $20bn a year, so it’s up there with the illegal arms trade and the illegal drug trade,” Taronga Zoo director Cameron Kerr said.
“The app makes reporting these activities simple for both tourists and locals, and will help give TRAFFIC the information they need to help address this global wildlife crisis.” Read more...
Source: theguardian.com
