Rare, endangered animals increasing in Cambodia

PHNOM PEHN: Cambodia had observed noticeable increase of wildlife presence, including rare and endangered species, at Virachey National Park in the last five years, according to the Ministry of Environment.

The observation has been scientifically confirmed over 13 months, from April 2019 to April 2020, camera trapping by the ministry’s park rangers whose results were revealed recently.

Virachey National Park lies in north-eastern Cambodia encompassing an area of about 3,380 kilometres of Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces, and is considered as one of only two Cambodian Association of Southeast Asian Nations heritage parks.

Secretary of State and spokesman at the Ministry of Environment Neth Pheaktra shared that the 12 trapping cameras installed had identified vulnerable animal species with high risk of endangerment in the wild globally such as cloud tiger, bear, serow, gaur and hornbill.

They also captured the near threatened ones including mouse deer, fallow deer, boar and silver pheasant.

The existence of wild animals is crucial ecologically, genetically, socially, economically, scientifically, educationally and culturally, and in connection to human livelihood and sustainable development, underlined Pheaktra.

The Royal Government of Cambodia has been taking tough measures to promote wildlife conservation and prevention of forest hunting and trafficking.

Country wide, rangers have been stationed in all sanctuaries, and as affirmed by the ministry’s spokesman, they are carrying out their duty and demonstrated honourable sacrifice in a highly responsible manner.

Their work was ensuring biological balance not only for Cambodia, but also the whole world, he added.

Cambodia’s national biodiversity report indicates the attendance of 123 mammals, 545 birds, 88 reptiles, and 2,308 fish species.