"TRADERS and buyers in the illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar have turned away from traditional markets and towards social media platforms, as the government intensifies its crackdown on the illicit activity. Nevertheless, there are still wildlife markets flourishing on the Chinese border, which are beyond the government’s control. U Aung Kyaw, anti-wildlife trafficking manager at the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar (WCS-Myanmar), said the online wildlife trade seems to be on the rise in the country. “Various wildlife species are for sale online. It is hard to detect the culprits if the trend continues,” he said, according to the Myanmar Times. WCS Myanmar, the Forestry Department, and other agencies, including the police, are cooperating to eliminate the illegal wildlife trade, despite the odds. “The department and WCS Myanmar are unable to handle this alone,” U Aung Kyaw said. “We need the help of cybercrime experts. We plan to eliminate the online trade, but it cannot be implemented yet. We need technicians and experts, but we are trying our best.” In the past nine years, the department has prosecuted 12 suspected illegal online wildlife traders. Not all were successful..."