Spokesman: Herds of wild elephants show increased presence in protected areas over previous years
Spokesman: Herds of wild elephants show increased presence in protected
areas over previous years
Khmer Times
April 24, 2024
A spokesman for the Ministry of Environment confirmed that a herd of wild
elephants, or Asian elephants, had recently appeared in protected areas in
Mondulkiri province in greater numbers than in previous years.
Khvay Atiya, spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said on April 24,
2024, that park rangers had observed the presence of wild elephants roaming
the forest and sometimes entering the community of protected areas in
groups of between 20 and 30, an increase from 3 to 5 that appeared in the
past.
“This is a sign that they are living in peace and procreation, ensuring
good management of natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring
better ecosystems in the nature protection system, especially in Mondulkiri
province,” he said, which has nature protection systems such as Sre Pok
Wildlife Sanctuary, Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Phnom Prech Wildlife
Sanctuary, and Keo Sema Wildlife Sanctuary.
According to a DNA analysis of wild elephants by Ministry of Environment
officials and partners in the past, there were about 350 Asian elephants in
the eastern highlands of Mondulkiri province, according to the spokesman.
Wild elephants, or Asian elephants, are under serious threat to their
habitats around the world. Wild elephants are listed as endangered on the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List. In
Cambodia, there are about 400 to 600 Asian elephants, most of which live in
the Cardamom Mountains and the eastern highlands of Mondulkiri.
In addition, the Ministry of Environment has developed the Wild Elephant
Conservation Action Plan 2020-2029, which identifies six priority issues
and sets out strategic actions to address them, in particular the continued
research and monitoring of its presence and reporting through automated
cameras and DNA analysis of faeces.
In the past, the number of Asian elephants seems to have increased due to
the recent discovery of a herd of 10 to more than 20 elephants, and in each
herd, the presence of new-borns and adults has a large number.