Wildlife groups toured nine schools in Thailand to train the children in helping to fight animal trafficking. They showed the youngsters how to spot the illegal sale of endangered animal species, and gave them a hotline number to call.

Thailand is known as a major transit point for the global wildlife trade which generates more than US$10bn annually. The World Wildlife Federation WWF in Thailand, said that the Thai people must be the "eyes and ears" in the government crackdown on illegal animal trade in the Kingdom.

The training program for the Thai schools is being run by the Thailand branch of international wildlife groups WWF (World Wildlife Federation) and the WildAid organization.

The representatives of WWF showed the students how to identify different animal species, ranging from endangered mammals such as bears and tigers, to fish, insects and plants, all illegally sold on the Thai market.

The children were also given a wildlife hotline telephone number to call, which will activate police action.

Currently the authorities in Thailand are heavily cracking down on illegal animal trading and anyone caught illegally trading rare animal species can face a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison and a 40,000 Baht (US$1,000) fine.

Last month, several live Asian tigers, bears and orangutans, and the body parts of other endangered animals, were found in a house in Thailand.

The current crackdown of the Thai government on illegal wildlife dealers is a welcome breath of fresh air for Thailand, said WildAid-Thailand president Khun Kraisak Choonhavan. Now that the government is getting serious about the matter, the Thai public should also get involved to help too, he added.

The more eyes and ears in Thailand that are looking for illegal wildlife traders, the more difficult it will be for illegal dealers to escape government enforcement efforts, said Dr Robert Mather who is the director of WWF-Thailand