Conserving Cambodia’s wildlife: the case for Endangered species breeding programs
A Critically Endangered Sunda pangolin rescued after loosing a leg to a snare gets its wound cleaned with iodine by vets at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center. What is an ‘Endangered species’? We hear the term used all the time, and the definition is quite broad, subjective, and open to interpretation. The IUCN defines an Endangered species when ‘there is [...]
Crocodiles rescued in Koh Kong province
After our Cardamom Rainforest Protection Program staff received information from an informant, Wildlife Alliance carried out a rescue on two crocodiles in Koh Kong province this morning. The crocodiles were taken from the Areng river in the Cardamom Mountains more than 20 years ago and had been kept by the owner ever since. They are believed to be the Critically Endangered [...]
An Otter’s journey to freedom…
We’ve experienced the full range of emotions on our quest to reintroduce smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) into the forests surrounding the Angkor Temple Complex. They are one of three species of otters in Cambodia, found in a variety of habitats including mangroves, rainforests, grasslands and even human-altered landscapes such as rice paddies. They are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN with [...]
Ivory and pangolins: The dark underbelly of Cambodia’s wildlife trade
A raid last month by Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT) exposed the dark underbelly of Cambodia’s illegal wildlife trade. After receiving a tipoff from the Wildlife Justice Commission, WRRT raided a carving factory suspected of holding illegal wildlife products in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. The suspect was found with 6.58kg of ivory, 5.5kg of tiger bones, 1 tiger tooth, [...]
A tale of You-bee
What lives in the trees, has a blue face, is identified by its legs, and spends its days munching on leaves? A black-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nigripes), that’s what! In February, our Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT) received a call from a Cambodian citizen who had purchased an infant douc langur from poachers in Mondulkiri, where this endangered primate is found. Determined [...]
The real cost of Cambodia’s illegal pet trade
A pileated gibbon that was rescued by the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team last September is handed over to the team at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center. The gibbon was founded chained by the neck after likely being kept as a pet. Owning an exotic animal isn’t an option in many countries. The combination of strong legislation and effective law [...]