Wildlife crimes in Cambodia can now be reported through a newly established Facebook page, providing users of the social network a one-stop portal to the various organisations involved in protecting the Kingdom’s flora and fauna.

The page, “Wildlife Crime Hotline – Cambodia”, already boasts more than 400 likes. It offers guidelines to reporting offences and answers to common questions about wildlife crimes in both English and Khmer.

“Many locals, expats and foreign visitors in Cambodia do not know what to do when they witness cases of wildlife trafficking or find an animal in need of help. With the ever-growing access to social media, we believe Facebook will offer a good platform for building public awareness and increasing reports,” said an administrator of the page yesterday.

The page is monitored by Cambodian and expatriate volunteers working with various conservation organisations and government agencies across the country who prefer to remain anonymous.

One organisation backing the page is the Wildlife Alliance, whose Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team has the authority to seize animals or wildlife products being traded or kept illegally.

“The Facebook page is a great initiative to spread awareness about illegal wildlife activities,” said Nick Marx, Wildlife Alliance’s director of wildlife rescue and care.

“Let’s hope it will serve as another measure to help us put an end to this extremely cruel and damaging practice.”