Help Rangers Protect Endangered Cambodian Wildlife

To safeguard habitat in protected areas, our rangers combat various aspects of the illegal logging supply chain. To maximize profits, loggers sometimes cut not only luxury timber species, which fetch a high price even as unprocessed logs, but also trees of lower market value. Kilns are used to increase earnings from low value trees by converting them into charcoal. When charcoal kilns are constructed in large numbers inside protected areas, they can contribute to the destruction of wildlife habitat, deforestation and climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.

Thus, our rangers identify and dismantle illegal charcoal kilns as part of their patrols. In the first quarter of 2023, a total of 228 bags of illegal charcoal were seized by our rangers and 125 charcoal kilns were dismantled. More than half of these kilns were destroyed during a single mission.

During a flyover in late January, two clear cut areas with many charcoal kilns were spotted in the Biodiversity Conservation Corridor and Samkos REDD+ Project area in Pursat Province. Rangers from the Rovieng Patrol Station were immediately deployed to inspect the area and liaise with the local Commune Chief to deliver a verbal warning to the suspects that they should dismantle the kilns. When the rangers returned 5 days later, the kilns had not been taken down. Our rangers dismantled 73 charcoal kilns and 7 illegal camps, and confiscated 3 chainsaws and 1 homemade gun from the two sites.

Thank you so much for supporting our ranger patrols so we can keep the trees standing in the Cardamoms! 

During the last quarter of 2022, our rangers in the Cardamom Rainforest who your donations support rescued 156 live wild animals from poachers! In addition to patrolling the forest, the rangers set up checkpoints along roads that loggers and hunters use to smuggle illegal wildlife and wood out of protected areas. These checkpoints and nighttime ambushes of transporters along the roads saved many wild lives in October, November and December.

In mid-October the Stung Praot Patrol Unit conducted nighttime inspections by setting up a checkpoint along the boundary of the Southern Cardamom National Park. The rangers noticed that a motorbike quickly turned back in the direction it had come from instead of approaching. They pursued the bike and found a bag that had been tossed along the road with 1 slow loris and 1 turtle inside. The animals were brought to our Wildlife Release Station (WRS) the next day.

About a week later, while conducting a routine patrol, the same unit saw from a distance that a man had dropped his motorbike and run away. The rangers approached the bike and found 1 macaque, 1 wild chicken, 79 snares and 1 speaker for playing sounds to attract birds into traps. The monkey was brought to WRS and the chicken was released back into natural habitat. That same day, the Veal Pi Patrol Unit set up a night ambush on a main road and caught two motorbike riders with 1 dead macaque and 3 live long-tailed macaques that were released the next day.

A few weeks later, rangers on duty at Veal Pi Station called the Trapeang Rung Station to let them know that a suspected wildlife transporter riding a motorbike had passed by without stopping at the post for inspection by the rangers. The Trapeang Rung rangers quickly rode to National Road 48 to catch the suspect. The transporter was nowhere to be found, but had abandoned 4 live monkeys in bags on the side of the road. The monkeys were healthy and were released the same day.

In November and December, a total of 5 live Sunda pangolins were rescued! Sunda pangolin is a Critically Endangered species and it is unusual for our teams to encounter so many in such a short period of time. One female pangolin had a serious injury on her leg and was taken to Phnom Penh for veterinary care before being transferred to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. Another two pangolins were saved after a moto driver refused to stop for inspection. When the rangers pursued him on their bikes, he threw a bag at them that had two live pangolins inside. Since they were both in good condition, they were released into protected habitat. The Trapeang Run Patrol Unit conducted a nighttime ambush along National Road 48 after being tipped-off about a man transporting a pangolin. They found the suspect and chased him down. The pangolin was still alive and healthy so they released it. A few days later, an informant notified the unit that another motorcycle would be trafficking wildlife along the same road. Another nighttime ambush was conducted and the rangers rescued one more pangolin, this time a healthy male who was released the next day after being given water and ants.

In addition to saving animals during patrols and ambushes, our rangers are also sometimes contacted by local people who find wildlife and want to make sure it will be safe. In late November, a villager from Chi Phat called the Stung Praot Patrol leader to donate a baby Sambar deer. After a health check the fawn was brought to WRS for further care by the animal keepers there.

Your donations help make it possible for our rangers to keep up this vital work day and night to save wildlife. Thank you so much for your support!