Radio collars for released wildlife in Cambodia

We would like to extend a special thank you to all the donors that helped fund our campaign to purchase tracking equipment for releasing wildlife in Cambodia. Thanks to your generosity and kindness, we have been able to purchase collars for multiple species and have successfully released animals back into the wild. We raised over $2,600 which will help up safely release animal rescued from the wildlife trade in the coming weeks. We would like to share with you some recent successes that are a direct result of your donation.

Releases

In March we released a male and female binturong rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. The keepers tracked them every day as they readjusted to their lives in the wild. The male’s collar fell off after three months as scheduled. He moved far away from camp in what we assume was an effort to find a new lady. Visual checks from the keepers and the amount he was traveling each day confirmed he was in good health.

We released a trio of Sambar deer were released into the Cardamom Rainforest in July. Each of the three deer came to the Wildlife Release Station (WRS) from different backgrounds but were rehabilitated and released together. In the first few days after their release, our staff provided supplementary food, however, the sambar were much more interested in the wild leaves and grasses around the forest than the grass we provided. The trio stayed close to the camp for a few days but slowly ventured deeper into the jungle and to new grassland clearings. One of the females still remains close to the release station and often comes back to her pre-release enclosure in the evenings!

Upcoming Releases

Two leopard cats were separately rescued from the illegal pet trade as kittens and were brought to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center. Upon reaching sexual maturity, they were transported to our Wildlife Release Station where they have been prepared for release. They have now both been fitted with collars and should be released in a few weeks when the rain lightens up a bit and they can be more easily tracked.

We have also fitted a Critically Endangered pangolin with a tracking device. The pangolin was rescued from a restaurant in Phnom Penh where it was destined to be eaten. After the pangolin was rescued, she was immediately transported to WRS for care. She will also be released when the weather is more conducive to tracking. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world and there are so few Sunda pangolins left in the wild that every pangolin we can keep in the wild is vital to the species.