New York and Phnom Penh ( Sharewellnewswire.com ) August 9, 2012 -
There is a new weapon in the fight against animal trafficking: an
iPhone® app. Called Wildlife Watch Cambodia, the app enables travelers
in Cambodia, as well as locals there, to directly aid the effort to
stop wildlife crime. The free app, available on iTunes®, was launched by
Wildlife Alliance, the international conservation organization that
provides direct protection for wildlife and forests.
The Wildlife Watch Cambodia app identifies trafficking hotspots around the country, such as open markets, which are popular shopping and cultural destinations for tourists. Users can file an incident or suspicious activity report that goes straight to the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, which can take action to stop the illegal sale of wildlife, wildlife meat or wildlife parts. The Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team is a unique law enforcement unit – the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia – created by Wildlife Alliance that has rescued over 50,000 live wild animals from animal traffickers since beginning operations in 2001.
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Contact Info:
Jacqueline Burton
201.888.3352
jburton@burtonluch.com
http://www.wildlifealliance.org
Source: http://www.sharewellnewswire.com/travel-alert-an-app-that-helps-fight-animal-trafficking-2353.htm/#ixzz23QAPElT5
The Wildlife Watch Cambodia app identifies trafficking hotspots around the country, such as open markets, which are popular shopping and cultural destinations for tourists. Users can file an incident or suspicious activity report that goes straight to the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, which can take action to stop the illegal sale of wildlife, wildlife meat or wildlife parts. The Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team is a unique law enforcement unit – the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia – created by Wildlife Alliance that has rescued over 50,000 live wild animals from animal traffickers since beginning operations in 2001.
The app
also educates users about Cambodia’s native flora and fauna with photos,
maps and videos, provides status of imperiled animals and answers
questions on species, products and food. Trigger LLC created the
technology for Wildlife Alliance in conjunction with noted animal and
nature conservationist Jeff Corwin, who is featured in the videos, and
TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade-monitoring network.
Suwanna
Gauntlett, founder and CEO of Wildlife Alliance, noted that Cambodia is
an increasingly popular travel destination for people from around the
world. “People arrive with great enthusiasm and appreciation for the
natural heritage of this country. The app is an easy way for us to
engage them in our conservation efforts. Though we’ve made great
strides against animal trafficking in certain areas, it requires ongoing
effort and new tools.”
For more information about Wildlife Watch Cambodia and Wildlife Alliance, please visit http://www.wildlifealliance.org/.
About Wildlife Alliance
Wildlife
Alliance was founded by Suwanna Gauntlett to offer direct protection to
forests and wildlife through cutting edge conservation programs. The
organization provides technical assistance and critical thinking to
governments and strives for stakeholder consensus in achieving solutions
to multiple environmental threats, including animal trafficking,
economic land concessions for agro-industrial plantations and mining,
and community encroachment on forestland. Wildlife Alliance is the
leader in direct action in the Southeast Asian tropical belt.
Editor’s note: Hi-res images of the app screens available.
###
Contact Info:
Jacqueline Burton
201.888.3352
jburton@burtonluch.com
http://www.wildlifealliance.org
Source: http://www.sharewellnewswire.com/travel-alert-an-app-that-helps-fight-animal-trafficking-2353.htm/#ixzz23QAPElT5
