People have been asked to "be the eyes and ears against wildlife abuse" and scour social media to help officials crack down on the illegal possession and poaching of protected species.
The request follows the high-profile killing of a rare black leopard.
Last month's alleged wildlife poaching in a pristine forest, part of a world heritage site in Kanchanaburi, has rallied a cause for wildlife protection among many social media users.
Facebook has been a channel to advertise and sell wild animals and related products to people who have no idea the trade is illegal, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said in a statement issued to mark World Wildlife Day yesterday.
The day, celebrated annually on March 3, is recognised by the UN as an opportunity to educate people on wildlife poaching issues.
The department wants this year's World Wildlife Day in Thailand to galvanise people into joining efforts to curb offences committed against wildlife, following the Premchai Karnasuta case.
Construction tycoon Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, was arrested, along with three other people, at a no-camping zone in the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary on Feb 4 on suspicion of committing unauthorised hunting.
They were found in possession of carcasses of protected wild animals and a black Indochinese leopard pelt.
The department wants people to be more aware of threats to the already dwindling numbers of wildlife species. It has asked social media users to look out for any acts of abuse and illegal trade of wild animals online and report them to its hotline 1362, according to department deputy chief Pinsak Suraswadi.
The department has launched a Facebook page to receive clues from the general public. The agency said taking the fight against the illegal wildlife trade online would be an effective method to crack down on these activities.
Facebook is a place where illegal activities and trade of protected animals "can be found openly", it said. The department alone cannot effectively conduct the "online patrol". Public participation in the operation is necessary.
People can capture the screens of suspicious web pages and send them to the department.
However, the department warned people not to chat with the suspects or try to buy the animals.
