A smartphone app designed to help law enforcement and ordinary Cambodians identify endangered animals and report their smuggling or sale was made available in the Khmer language on Thursday.
WildScan, developed for both iOS and Android operating systems, has information about 350 endangered animals commonly smuggled throughout Southeast Asia.
Users can identify species based on a whole animal or its parts—fur, skin, scales or feathers—even when they are being used in clothes or jewelry.
The app also allows users to report the illegal use and sale of endangered animals; the data is then forwarded to policing agencies via the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network.
“I think that having WildScan in Khmer will benefit law enforcement in the country. It is easy to use, allowing for everyone to quickly identify a range of different animals,” Khem Vuthyravong, project manager for Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, said in a statement.
The app was created in 2014 by the Bangkok-based anti-trafficking group Freeland, with financial support from USAID. It partnered with Wildlife Alliance to translate the app into Khmer.
It is also available in English, French, Thai, Malay and Vietnamese.
