On June 2nd, 2016, the PPA in cooperation
with Freeland organization successfully held the training session to introduce
the application WildScan which supports investigation cases of wildlife for 20 officers,
lecturers of the PPA.
WildScan which is an application on the mobile phone
to identify the species of Southeast Asia is available on Android devices, now can
be downloaded and used on Apple devices, helps to significantly increase the usability
of the application in the region.
Wildlife trafficking is pushing many species to the
extinction risk and trafficked animals are often difficult to identify.
WildScan helps law enforcement officers and the public identify the protected
species quickly and easily by providing images, vital information and identified
clues to more than 350 species.
With more than 1,000 downloads of the Android
version, this application has quickly become popular more than expected and
now, WildScan can also be downloaded on the Apple devices.
Mr. Do Quang Tung, former President of ASEAN Wildlife
Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) said: “This app is a game-changing approach and
empower law enforcement and the public at large across the region to work
together and fight against the trafficking of wild animals”.
Developed with support from the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) by Freeland, a Bangkok based
counter-trafficking organization, the app contains information on relevant
contacts of individuals and organizations, temporary care instructions and a
tool to report suspected wildlife crime. Reports can be forwarded to a local
law enforcement agency allowing anyone to report wildlife crime wherever they
are.
Since the app was launched in 2014, law enforcement
officials and more than 800 airport and airline staff have attended the workshops
where they have learned how to the use the app to help stop the smuggling of
endangered species.
Already available in English, Thai and Vietnamese,
WildScan developers are currently planning to expand use of the app in
Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia and will release a version in Africa later in
the year. Along with the release for Apple devices, the WildScan team updated
the Android version to allow for faster downloads and more user-friendly
handling.
Download the app today, search WildScan on the App
Store or the Play Store or visit www.wildscanapp.org
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Matthew Pritchett, Deputy Director of
Communications, Freeland, Email: matthew@freeland.org Tel: +66 2 254 8321
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NOTES TO EDITORS The United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) is the self-contained U.S. Government agency that works under
the directions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Following 50 years of
improving the life quality through development and humanitarian assistance,
USAID is the principal U.S. Government development agency partnering with
countries throughout the world to promote peace, prosperity and security.
Please visit www.usaid.gov/asia-regional or follow facebook.com/USAIDAsia
and@USAIDAsia on Twitter for more information.
Freeland is a frontline counter-trafficking
organization working for a world that is free of wildlife trafficking and human
slavery. The organization includes law enforcement, development and
communications specialists work alongside partners in Asia, Africa and the
Americas to build capacity, raise awareness, strengthen networks and promote
governance to protect critical ecosystems and vulnerable people. Freeland is
also the lead implementing partner of “ARREST” (Asia’s Regional Response to
Endangered Species Trafficking), the largest US Government sponsored
counter-wildlife trafficking program, sponsored by USAID. |
Written by NV
Translated by CP