Biodiversity
Animals
Mine action center resumes breeding dogs as fundraiser
The Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) has restarted a long-dormant dog breeding program it hopes will replenish its stock of explosive-sniffing canines as well as its dwindling coffers by selling them to others, including riot police. The first litter of six Malinois, a type of Belgian ...
Aun Pheap
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/mine-action-center-resumes-breeding-dogs-fundraiser-117170/
Wildlife Alliance celebrates zero poaching
To celebrate World Elephant Day today, the conservation group Wildlife Alliance (WA) celebrated its achievement of zero poaching of the Cardamom Rainforest’s Asian elephant population in the last decade, according to a press release on Wednesday. ...
Tin Sokhavuth
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/28419/wildlife-alliance-celebrates-zero-poaching/
WWF slams lenience for civet caterers
The environmental protection group WWF has criticized the penalty imposed on three brothers arrested in Mondolkiri province over the weekend for filling the trunk of a car with turtles, lizards, snakes, a monkey and a civet—all of them meant to be food for a party. ...
Phan Soumy
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/wwf-slams-lenience-civet-caterers-116537/
Load of wildlife busted in Mondulkiri
Rangers from the Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province intercepted two men and a minor allegedly smuggling more than 50 wild animals on Saturday evening, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Koh Nhek district police. ...
Cristina Maza and Bun Sengkong
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/load-wildlife-busted-mondulkiri
Animal deaths from pesticide spark fears
Evidence that a deadly pesticide is being used to kill wildlife at watering holes in two provinces has raised fears of widespread poisoning that could jeopardize biodiversity and the health of rural communities, according to a new report. ...
Kang Sothear and Sonia Kohlbacher
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/animal-deaths-from-pesticide-spark-fears-116162/
Mother and baby Irrawaddy dolphins found dead in Kratie
A female Irrawaddy dolphin and its baby were found dead yesterday morning in Kratie province’s Chet Borei district, though the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the cause of death is still unknown. ...
Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/mother-and-baby-irrawaddy-dolphins-found-dead-kratie
Snared elephant dies of wounds in Cambodia
An endangered Asian elephant died in eastern Cambodia after sustaining a severe foot wound caused by a snare trap, officials said on Monday. ...
The Gulf Today Team
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/e1650b9b-2e56-4057-8f0d-d7b86cef2577.aspx
A New Species of ant found in Cambodia
A new species of ant has been discovered in Cambodia by researchers from Japan. Its name is Crematogaster indosinensis, and it is described in Annals of the Entomological Society of America. ...
Entomology Today
https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/21/a-new-species-of-ant-found-in-cambodia/
Scientists using DNA to track Mekong’s ‘monsters’
Environmental DNA collection could be a “silver bullet” for tracking and protecting critically endangered fish in the Mekong, according to a new report. ...
Erin Handley
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/scientists-using-dna-track-mekongs-monsters
Wildscan app to help fight animal trafficking
A Khmer version of a smartphone app to help law enforcement deal with the illegal wildlife trade was launched yesterday. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/wildscan-app-help-fight-animal-trafficking
Monkey farm workers accept $16 pay raise
Employees of a controversial monkey breeding farm in Pursat City who protested earlier this week for higher wages have accepted their employer’s offer of a $16 monthly wage increase, authorities said on Thursday. ...
Phan Soumy
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/monkey-farm-workers-accept-16-pay-raise-115492/
Two trapped gaurs die in sanctuary
Two rare gaurs, a mother and calf, have died after being found trapped in a snare in the Cardamom Mountains’ Samlot Protected Area, according to the sanctuary’s chief and an official from the Maddox Jolie-Pitt (MJP) Foundation, a wildlife NGO founded by Angelina Jolie. ...
Pav Suy
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26899/two-trapped-gaurs-die-in-sanctuary/
Elephant herds spotted in Wildlife Sanctuary
Researchers have released new photos offering a rare glimpse of endangered elephant herds seen traveling with calves through the Tonle Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province earlier this month. The photos are part of a conservation supervisory project undertaken by Winrock International and the World Wildlife ...
Safiya Charles
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26631/elephant-herds-spotted--in-wildlife-sanctuary
Wildlife meat seized in Kratie
Authorities seized 100 kilograms of endangered wildlife meat this weekend on Kratie province’s National Road 7. The haul, which contained 60 kg of wild pig and 36 kg of deer meat, was discovered after a local environmental NGO stopped an SUV traveling in Chit Borei’s Sambok ...
Chea Vannak
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26280/wildlife-meat-seized-in-kratie/
Slight increase in dolphin numbers
Cambodia’s freshwater Mekong dolphin population has increased by four, adding a quartet of calves in the first five months of 2016 while also seeing a drop in the mortality rate compared with last year. ...
Chea Vannak
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26288/slight-increase-in-dolphin-numbers/
Tigers and tubers—secrets of Bunong healers
When French pharmacologist Francois Chassagne set out to catalogue traditional medicine used by Cambodia’s Bunong ethnic minority group in 2013, he came across a surprising remedy for burns: tiger breastmilk. ...
Ben Paviour
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/tigers-and-tubers-secrets-of-bunong-healers-114163/
Conservationists caution road through sanctury may harm birds
Conservationists have warned a new road could threaten endangered bird species in Stung Treng’s Siem Pang wildlife sanctuary. ...
Kong Meta and Igor Kossov
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/conservationists-caution-road-through-sanctury-may-harm-birds
Species in ‘dramatic decline’ in east: WWF
Multiple animal species are in “dramatic decline” on Cambodia’s Eastern Plains as a result of habitat loss, road incursion, insufficient law enforcement and poaching, the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement yesterday. ...
Igor Kossov
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/species-dramatic-decline-east-wwf
Conservation NGO blamed for death of endangered crocodile
An environmental group has been accused of complicity in the decline of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile in Koh Kong province’s Areng Valley, mainly due to traps that are believed to have killed the last breeding-age female in the area. ...
Janelle Retka
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/conservation-ngo-blamed-for-death-of-endangered-crocodile-113521/
Customs bureau saves 700 Kgs of turtles, snakes near border
A major haul of wild turtles and snakes was found abandoned on Saturday morning on the banks of a small river near a checkpoint along the border with Vietnam in Kandal province, according to customs officials. ...
Kang Sothear
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/customs-bureau-saves-700-kgs-of-turtles-snakes-near-border-113519/
Mekong dam a threat to rare dolphins - and villagers too
The Don Sahong hydroelectric dam threatens the last 80 Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River – as well as the livelihoods of the people downstream in Cambodia, who depend heavily on the river’s resources. ...
Pratch Rujivanarom
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Mekong-dam-a-threat-to-rare-dolphins--and-villager-30286974.html
Meat seized after wild chase
About 100 kilograms of pig and dear meat was seized on Wednesday night after police chased down a luxury car in Kratie town’s Orusey commune, deputy chief of the Provincial Economic Police Unit Major Rin Veansa said. ...
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/25478/meat-seized-after-wild-chase/
Cambodia scouts for tigers before relocating big cats from India
Before it takes action on ‘relocating’ Indian tigers, Cambodia’s forestry administration is on a special mission – scouting for signs of indigenous tigers in its dense jungles, where according to reports they are “functionally extinct”. ...
Community ravaged by drought steps up to save monkeys
Touch Tren used to fish the Tonle Sap Lake’s flooded Ek Phnom district for a living, but after finding the bodies of 30 black monkeys, dead from thirst in the nearby Veal Don Om forest earlier this year, he had a change of heart and ...
May Titthara
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/24763/community-ravaged-by-drought-steps-up-to-save-monkeys/