Camera traps capture rare wildlife species in Cambodia's sanctuaries

Undated photo shows a red muntjac captured by a camera trap in a sanctuary in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia. Photo by MoE/WWF-Cambodia/Handout via Xinhua

PHNOM PENH -- Camera traps have recently captured a number of rare wildlife species in sanctuaries in northeastern Cambodia's Mondulkiri province, Neth Pheaktra, secretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said Friday.



“Some wildlife images from camera trap surveys as a preliminary update confirmed the presence of the Asian elephant, herds of rare guar and banteng, as well as the presence of wild pigs, muntjacs, green peafowl, yellow-throated marten and long-tailed macaques,” he told Xinhua.



Pheaktra said the current wildlife monitoring using the camera-trapping methodology, funded by the World Wildlife Fund, constituted an important component of the wildlife research and monitoring program implemented in the wildlife sanctuaries of the Eastern Plains in Mondulkiri province.



The spokesman said snares are a principal threat to wildlife in Cambodia's protected areas and a major driver of wildlife decline and extinction of some important wild animal species.



“Concerted conservation actions are urgently needed to protect these globally significant wildlife species, ensure the zero-snaring in their natural habitats, and stop the demand for bush meat and wildlife products, ensuring their populations can recover for their future survival,” he said.



The nationwide Zero-Snaring campaign, which began in March 2022 under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and support from conservation and development partners, represents an immediate collective action in addressing the threats to wildlife with the goal to end the snaring crisis and wildlife trafficking in Cambodia, he said.


Related Articles