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June 3rd 2008

The Return of Cambodia's Wildlife

Herd of Indian elephants bathing in a river

In the far east of Cambodia, in biologically rich forest bisected by the Srepok River, environmentalists are observing a steady return of some of the region's rarest wildlife after the long years of violence that ravaged the region.

Once called the 'Serengeti of Asia', this region of Cambodia used to support some of the largest and most diverse populations of large mammals in Southeast Asia. However, heavy bombing by the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, followed by the Khmer Rouge gaining power in 1975, greatly impacted this biologically wealthy landscape. During the time of Khmer Rouge rule, the area served as both a retreat and battleground for soldiers and the easy availability of guns resulted in widespread hunting, to feed the troops and for trade. By the time the last peace settlement was signed, the majority of large wildlife had fled or been shot.

Today however, the wildlife seems to be recovering from these violent decades and elephants, tigers, leopards, wild ibis and ox are now being spotted in numbers not seen for many years. In 2002, WWF initiated the Srepok Wilderness Area Project in the region, with the intention of bringing in tourists to view the spectacular wildlife. Local people who once fought and poached with guns are now being employed to protect their threatened wildlife. With such conservation efforts, experts are optimistic that populations of Cambodia's charismatic species, such as those below, will continue to grow.

image: Indochinese tiger in shallow water

The Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a solitary animal that requires a large territory in which to hunt deer, wild cattle and wild pigs. Not only was it hunted in Cambodia for its beautiful skin and teeth, but the reduction of important prey species would have also impacted this magnificent animal.

Measuring over a metre in length, the giant ibis is today found only in northern Cambodia and the extreme southern tip of Laos. It is believed that hunting and human disturbance pose the greatest threat to the existence of this Critically Endangered bird.

Endangered Asian elephants may live for as long as 70 years, so there is no doubt that some will have lived through the violence that devastated Cambodia. Throughout their range, Asian elephants come into conflict with humans; hopefully such issues will be resolved to allow numbers to thrive in Cambodia.

The handsome banteng resembles domestic cattle in size, colour and social lifestyle. Unfortunately, its long-term survival is not as assured as its domestic relative; this Endangered species is threatened by hunting and habitat loss across much of its range.

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