The hog deer is listed as globally endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List and was once thought to be extinct in Cambodia, until its rediscovery in 2006 in Kratie.
According to a WWF posting on its Facebook on Monday, the deer were photographed last week by camera traps and through thermal drone surveys conducted by the wildlife researchers of Kratie Department of Environment and WWF, with the assistance from the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO) NPO team and Thermal DRONES GmbH.
The survey also showed the presence of multiple fawns, indicating that reproduction was taking place in the area.
The Ministry of Environment and WWF are now preparing the hog deer population status report, which is due to be released soon.
WWF, however, added the species was threatened by habitat loss, poaching and snaring crisis, fuelled by the illegal wildlife trade.
To counter poaching, Cambodia launched the Zero-Snaring campaign in protected areas in March with the goal of eliminating all types of snaring and put an end to the illegal wildlife trade.
Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra said yesterday “we need to increase protection and conservation, especially to prevent poaching and trapping in all areas”.
He said the hog deer are one of the most valuable species for conservation work and for the biodiversity of deer that are endangered in the world.
He said that protected forests are not just to ensure the sanctuary of wildlife but also to conserve food and water resources for wildlife.
For now, he said, “we will hunt for poachers to stop them hunting for wildlife. We aim to eliminate all kinds of traps and end the illegal wildlife trade”.
According to khmertimeskh.com
