Cambodian Human Rights Committee Remarks on Recent Case of Detained Soldiers and Thai Response | CMAC Confirms Expertise on MK-84 Bomb as Evidence Supports Cambodia’s Claims | U.S. Pledges Full Support for Cambodia–Thailand Ceasefire in Meeting with General Tea Seiha | UN Agencies Join Government Field Visit to Assess Needs of Displaced Communities in Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap | Cambodians Worldwide Stand for Peace as PM Pushes for Release of Soldiers Held by Thailand | TOP NEWS: Cambodia and Thailand Agree to Ceasefire and Establish Mechanisms for Border Stability | TOP NEWS: Cambodia, Thailand Reach Critical Agreements in Bid to Ease Border Tensions | TOP NEWS: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet Nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize | U.S. Welcomes Progress in Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Efforts | Techo Hun Sen Addresses Escalating Cambodia–Thailand Border Incidents | Japan Welcomes Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Mechanism Agreement | BREAKING: Two Malaysian Tourists Set on Fire in Bangkok, Suspect Arrested | Thailand Taps Former Beauty Queen Panadda Wongphudee to Counter Cambodia’s Defence Spokeswoman | BREAKING: THIRD LANDMINE BLAST INJURES THAI TROOPS NEAR CAMBODIAN BORDER, SPARKING DIPLOMATIC CLASH | BREAKING: Thai Patrol Hit by Landmine Near Thai Border—Cambodia Rejects Accusations | BREAKING : Cambodian Mine Authority Denies Thailand’s Allegations of New Landmine Use |
Cambodian Human Rights Committee Remarks on Recent Case of Detained Soldiers and Thai Response | CMAC Confirms Expertise on MK-84 Bomb as Evidence Supports Cambodia’s Claims | U.S. Pledges Full Support for Cambodia–Thailand Ceasefire in Meeting with General Tea Seiha | UN Agencies Join Government Field Visit to Assess Needs of Displaced Communities in Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap | Cambodians Worldwide Stand for Peace as PM Pushes for Release of Soldiers Held by Thailand | TOP NEWS: Cambodia and Thailand Agree to Ceasefire and Establish Mechanisms for Border Stability | TOP NEWS: Cambodia, Thailand Reach Critical Agreements in Bid to Ease Border Tensions | TOP NEWS: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet Nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize | U.S. Welcomes Progress in Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Efforts | Techo Hun Sen Addresses Escalating Cambodia–Thailand Border Incidents | Japan Welcomes Cambodia-Thailand Ceasefire Mechanism Agreement | BREAKING: Two Malaysian Tourists Set on Fire in Bangkok, Suspect Arrested | Thailand Taps Former Beauty Queen Panadda Wongphudee to Counter Cambodia’s Defence Spokeswoman | BREAKING: THIRD LANDMINE BLAST INJURES THAI TROOPS NEAR CAMBODIAN BORDER, SPARKING DIPLOMATIC CLASH | BREAKING: Thai Patrol Hit by Landmine Near Thai Border—Cambodia Rejects Accusations | BREAKING : Cambodian Mine Authority Denies Thailand’s Allegations of New Landmine Use |

Excitement over 1st Sighting of Giant Muntjac in Decades

Phnom Penh: The Ministry of Environment has confirmed Cambodia’s first recorded sighting in decades of the “most endangered” Giant Muntjac. It has released an image of the large deer, taken by a remote camera in Ratanakiri’s Virachey National Park. Since the 1990s, only Giant Muntjac antlers had ever been found in Cambodia, promoting concerns that the species had vanished from the country.

Ministry spokesman, Mr. Neth Pheaktra, said the automatic camera had been set up as part of a wildlife study, between March and May. He described it as “very good news for Cambodia and the world” that the species was still present in Cambodia. Giant Muntjac roam mountainous areas of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, but sightings have become extremely rare. The deer have been listed as a “most endangered species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Mr. Neth Pheaktra says the study’s results are “very valuable for the conservation of biodiversity and the environment and we all need to participate in the protection and conservation of this rare species” so that it survives in Cambodia’s forests. He thanked ministry officials and the local community for working together to conduct the recent study, saying, “With better protection and conservation of natural resources, including habitats, food sources and water sources that are essential for the survival of wildlife, we see the presence of many rare species beginning to reappear in the forests of Cambodia. This is a positive result of the efforts of the government and all stakeholders to conserve natural resources.”

Head of the research team of the Ministry of Environment’s Department of Conservation of the East Mekong River Conservation Area, Mr. Pin Chanratana, led the research that was sponsored by the ministry together with Oxford University’s Wildlife Research Office.

He says the Giant Muntjac prefers to live in high, dense and semi-dense forests up to more than 1,000 metres above sea level. It is the largest of the 12 Muntjac species and can weigh in excess of 30 kilograms.


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