Conservationists launch wildlife trade app
The Wildlife Witness app was developed by zoos in Australia led by Taronga.
Members of the public are being encouraged to report wildlife trade offences when they see them via a smartphone app.
Forming part of Taronga Zoo’s Lend Your Eyes to the Wild campaign, the Wildlife Witness app allows tourists and locals to easily report wildlife trade by taking a photograph and pinning it to the exact location of the incident.
The details are then passed on to TRAFFIC, a monitoring network for wildlife trade.
“We want people to be the eyes and ears in the fight against illegal wildlife trade,” said Dr Chris Shepherd, TRAFFIC’s South East Asia regional director.
Lend Your Eyes to the Wild is an international campaign to combat the trade in illegal wildlife.
Supported by Taronga Zoo in Australia, Santiago Zoo in the US and Chester Zoo in the UK, the campaign was launched in April 2016 in response to ‘an unparalleled spike’ in illegal wildlife trade.
“Given that world Zoos are visited by more than 700 million people annually, imagine how quickly the illegal wildlife trade would be stopped if everyone took action together. We’re hoping the Lend Your Eyes campaign will make this a reality,” said Cameron Kerr, director of Taronga Zoo.
The Wildlife Witness app was developed by zoos in Australia led by Taronga.
Illegal wildlife trade is considered the fourth largest in the world, after drugs, counterfeiting and human trafficking.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
