MONDULKIRI: A small herd of Asian elephants were spotted in the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary last month, signalling a new population record for the protected area, which hasn’t seen the species in over ten years.

According to a press release from the NatureLife Cambodia Organisation, rangers on their monthly patrol recorded elephant footprints and droppings on May 19, indicating a herd of four in Lumphat’s Mondulkiri zone. Taun-Kaunva villagers reported seeing the herd a week later on May 28.

The NatureLife team is continuing to monitor their movements in hopes of gaining a better understanding of their patterns. They will be setting up cameras in the forest to learn more about their behavior, range and diet.

The Asian elephant is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with its population declining by an estimated 50% over the past 75 years. There are an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, with only 400-600 living in Cambodia. Their main threat is loss of habitat via encroachment and deforestation and illegal poaching.

The Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the REDD+ project, which aims to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. The project, backed by the Ministry of Environment, Naturelife, BirdLife and USAID, is part of a wider effort to restore and protect Cambodia’s wildlife diversity, along with the Zero-Trap campaign which launched last year. It is estimated that a small group of around 70 elephants live in the vicinity of the sanctuary.

^{Photo: NatureLife Cambodia Organisation}