Other Cambodian Wildlife in Danger

This is a small selection of the wildlife in Cambodia that is currently in greatest need of help. Most efforts concentrate on the large, charismatic animals, but the smaller ones are often more vital to the health of the ecosystem.

Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)

Globally rated as Endangered with a decreasing population trend, there are not many left in Cambodia , but conservationists are still struggling to save what’s left. Commercial poaching (especially to obtain various parts of the tiger's body for Oriental medicine), a declining prey base, and loss of habitat are the principal threats to the tiger at present.   Genertic work shows that this was probably the ancestral tiger from which all the other subspecies developed. 

• Wildlife Conservation Society: Tigers Forever
• Cardamon Project: Indochinese Tiger

Elephant (Elephas maximus)

There are probably 200 - 300 wild elephants left in Cambodia, and about 200 in captivity - these are usually owned by the Phnong clan, but the skills of elephant handling are dying out.   Threats are hunting for ivory and meat, and mining in the forest areas they still inhabit.  Globally the Asiatic Elephant is rated as Endangered - decreasing population

• Flora & Fauna International: Elephants
• Ele-Aid: Cambodia
• Cambodia Elephant Forest Conservation

Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica)

Pangolins (Endangered - decreasing population) are subject to an enormous illegal international trade - they are the most commonly found animals in siezures of smuggled wildlife products, measuring in tons at a time! There is a huge demand for pangolin scales and nearly all of their body parts for use in food, medicine, and leather goods.  There have been suspected declines of 50% over the last 15 yearswith the intensity of hunting steadily moving into the southern parts of the species' range.  Local people are reporting that pangolins are now extremely rare in Cambodia, despite the fact that this is a versatile and adaptable animal. Prices are so high that local, subsistence use of pangolins for either meat or their scales has completely halted in favour or selling to the national/international trade

• Save Pangolins
• Wildlife at Risk
• Pangolins face worst threat in SE Asia: Wildlife Official
  

Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)

Fishing cats ((Endangered - decreasing population) are often found at the same places as otters, sharing the same habitat and facing the same threats. Wetland destruction is the primary threat faced by the fishing cat. Causes of this destruction include human settlement, draining for agriculture, construction of aquaculture facilities, and wood-cutting. In addition, clearance of coastal mangroves over the recent past has been rapid in tropical Asia. High use of pesticides in rice fields and fishponds results in adverse impacts, since the harmful chemical residues can enter aquatic food chains and affect top predators such as the fishing cat. Destructive fishing practices have also greatly reduced the fishing cat's main prey base. Finally, the fishing cat is hunted because it is considered edible and its skin is still valued by the fur trade. 

• Fishing Cat Research and Conservation Project
• IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group: Fishing Cat

Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

Irrawaddy Dolphin is globally rated as Vulnerable with decreasing population trend, is rated as Critically Endangered in Cambodia, where there are fewer than 100 left, and a high annual mortality rate.  There are a few clusters of dolphins around the Laos / Cambodian border on the Lower Mekong. In the past, the dolphins were hunted for oil and meat, and were entangled in gill-nets, but the major problem today seems to be pollution stress.  

• WWF: Dolphin Project
• Cambodian Rural Development Team

Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)

The Siamese crocodile is Critically Endangered, with less than 250 left in the wild worldwide - They had been believed extinct in the wild until their rediscovery in 2000. Some are still found in Tonle Sap and other wetland areas where otters also found.  The principal threats are  wildlife trade, habitat loss, and hydroelectric dams.  In addition, this species has been crossed with other crocodile species in crocodile farms, and the hybrids have subsequently escaped into the wild.

• Flora & Fauna International: Siamese Crocodile
• Wildlife Alliance: DNA Testing of Rescued Crocodiles
• IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group

Yellow-Headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys annandalii)

The Yellow-headed temple turtle, which is depicted on the walls of the famed Angkor temples, is of special cultural significance in Cambodia.  Rated as Endangered, it is threatened due to trade exploitation in Cambodia for soup and traditional medicine. Habitat loss remains a contributing factor throughout its range, but it has a stronghold in Tonle Sap.   

• Wildlife Alliance: Yellow-Headed Temple Turtle
• Wildlife at Risk: Yellow-Headed Temple Turtle

Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii)

Cambodia is believed to have a number of significant populations of this Endangered species and might be the most important population in the region, whereas the Vietnamese population is probably extinct and the Lao and Thai populations are very small and also on the edge of extinction. They are taken for meat, eggs, Khmer and Chinese medicine, decoration and pets, and are also threatened by habitat loss. 

In Cambodia, this turtle, thought to be extinct there as well, was rediscovered in 2007 in the upper Cambodian Mekong in Sambour district, Kratie province. After the finding, Conservation International initiated a community effort to find and guard every nest found in islands around their villages. In 2008, our local team found three nests with the total of 91 hatchlings in several islands which are very important sites for nest protection. In 2009, 9 nests have been found at the sites, from which we got 133 hatchlings and most of them were released (after microchipping 11) back into the nesting ground except 17 hatchlings which are being studied regarding their food preferences. School training will be the next step to raise awareness to students along the river.

• Conservation International: Freshwater Turtles
• Cambodian Turtle Conservation Project
• WWF: Giant Softshell Turtle

Mekong Giant Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas)

Critically Endangered, with a decreasing population trend, this is the biggest freshwater fish in the world. Recent research has shown that its principal spawning ground is in Tonle Sap, but fishing specifically for it may be increasing there.  Elsewhere, fishing for this fish has remained constant. Habitat loss and degradation are also serious threats to P. gigas, e.g. the clearance of flooded forest in the Tonle Sap Great Lake, as is the construction of dams (for example, the Pak Mun Dam in Thailand) which interfere with migration. 

• Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Program
• WWF: Catfish Conservation in the Mekong

Kouprey (Bos sauveli)

This species of forest ox, Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) with a declining population trend, was named as Cambodia's national animal by King Norodom Sihanouk in 1960.  The kouprey has not been observed since 1988, but it is thought to persist based on the occasional finding of tracks and of skulls for sale in local markets.  The major reason for the kouprey's decline has been uncontrolled hunting by local inhabitants and by the military. Other factors include disease transmitted from domestic stock and loss of habitat due to illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. Knowledge of the kouprey is widespread among rural people in Cambodia, concerning its rarity and the value of trophies and perhaps other body parts; as such it is a more desirable target than most in Cambodia.

• WWF: Regional Conservation Planning Workshop for Asian Wild Cattle and Buffalo
• The Cardomon Project: Kouprey

Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)

Hit hard by habitat loss due to deforestation in Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia's Cardamom mountains probably hold one of the largest wild populations of these Endangered gibbons today. Forest is being lost to logging, agricultural conversion, hydroelectric development, and new human settlements  It is also taken for subsistence hunting.

Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)

The Sun Bear, about 4 feet tall, is the smallest of all bears, and is rated as Vulnerable with decreasing population. Sun bears are sought after for the luxury food trade (paws) and their body parts (including gall bladder, bones, blood and spinal cord) are highly valued in Chinese medicine.   In addition, their forest home is being destroyed by logging, farming and other development.  Other motivations for killing bears include: preventing damage to crops, subsistence use, fear of bears near villages, and capture of cubs for pets (the mother being killed in the process).  The Sun Bear is still found in a few protected areas in Cambodia 's Mondolkiri province and Virachey National Park.

• Free the Bears

Red-shanked Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus)

This monkey is rated as Endangered with decreasing populaton trend, and has small populations in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Hainan Island, China.  As well as the usual loss of habitat, this species was hit hard by the Vietnam War, both through widespread defoliant use, and hunting for food by military personnel; it is believed to have undergone a decline of more than 50% in the last three generations.  Hunting is still currently the major threat to this species, most often for subsistence use and traditional “medicine”, as well as sometimes for the international pet trade, especially from Lao PDR to Viet Nam and Thailan. Destruction of its natural habitat is also a threat to this species because of extensive logging for coffee, rubber, and cashew plantations, as well as wood collecting.

• WWF Greater Mekong Programme
• Douc Langur Foundation

Giant Ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea)

This Critically Endangered bird is confined to a few tiny areas of northern Cambodia, with possibly a few still in adjacent areas of Laos and Vietnam.  It is extremely sensitive to human disturbance, and is dependent on seasonal water holes which were formally created by elephants and rhinoceri, but following the decline of these animals are now uncommon and also much used by the burgeoning human population.  Its forest home is also being cleared for teak plantations.

• Birdlife International : Giant Ibis

Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)

The Critically Endangered Bengal Florican has two unconnected, very small populations (one in Cambodia and one in Nepal, both currently in rapid decline due to the conversion of its grassland habitat for agriculture.  In addition, in Cambodia it faces heavy hunting for sport and food.  Birdlife International has been working with the Cambodian authorities to create protected areas around Tonle Sap in an attempt to address both issues.

• Birdlife International: Bengal Florican