Former Cambodian poacher turns gamekeeper

Top: Cambodia's Mondulkiri province is a sparsely populated and mountainous area nestled against the border with Vietnam. Middle:The conservation efforts aat Mondulkiri Protected Forest appear to be paying off. Bottom: Much of Mondulkiri's wildlife was wiped out by poachers during Cambodia's three decades of conflict.

By Suy Se

MONDULKIRI, Cambodia (AFP) — As a hunter roaming the remote forests of eastern Cambodia, Lean Kha shot animals from dozens of endangered species, including tigers, bears and elephants.

But the repentant former poacher is now putting his tracking skills to good use as a wildlife ranger in Mondulkiri Protected Forest, which Cambodia hopes will become an eco-tourism hotspot.

Over nearly three decades, the 50-year-old shot hundreds of creatures as he tried to eke out a living in poverty-stricken Mondulkiri province, a sparsely populated and mountainous area nestled against the border with Vietnam.

Most of the carcasses were sold, though some wild cattle, deer and pigs were used to feed his family.

"I shot them because we had nothing to eat," Kha said as he prepared for a patrol at a ranger outpost in Mereuch, deep inside the protected forest. "Now I never eat wildlife. I will not destroy what I am protecting."

The Cambodian government hopes to attract more visitors to the forest, which covers some 300,000 hectares and is rich in natural beauty, to help provide a steady income for local communities.

It has joined forces with conservation groups who have recruited experienced hunters like Kha to help protect endangered animals and keep illegal loggers at bay.

Keo Sopheak, who manages Mondulkiri Protected Forest for the government's Forestry Administration, envisages a future where locals "go into the forests to guide the tourists, not to hunt wildlife".

Much of Mondulkiri's wildlife was wiped out by poachers during the country's three decades of conflict, which ended in 1998.

Kha himself started hunting at the age of 13, when he was recruited by Khmer Rouge soldiers.

Armed with an AK-47 rifle, he recalls disappearing into the jungle for days before returning with an ox-cart full of wild meat, horns and tiger bones -- kills he now says he regrets.

"At that time I was totally ignorant," he said. "I didn't know the value of the animals. I had never heard about wildlife conservation."

Nor did poaching make him rich. The income was irregular and he earned just enough for his family to get by. Often, he was paid with bags of rice.

After being approached by wildlife conservationists who offered him a steady salary as a forest ranger, Kha decided he had more to gain from safeguarding animals.

That was more than a decade ago, and he is now a keen protector of wildlife as he tries to make up for what he calls "his past sins".

Kha is not alone -- 10 other ex-poachers also work as rangers in the dense forest.

With financial backing from international conservation group WWF, they spend at least 16 days a month patrolling the vast area on elephant back, on foot or by boat, always in the company of armed policemen.

Last year, the patrol teams arrested eight poachers caught with rare or endangered species.

"Nowadays, I feel very happy. All of us want to... preserve rare wildlife so that they will survive for the next generation," Kha said as he steered a small boat along the murky Sre Pok river, on the lookout for illegal poaching or logging activities.

Their efforts appear to be paying off, with increased sightings reported of Asian elephants, black bears, Eld's deer, leopards, rare vulture species and banteng, a type of wild cattle.

"Protection efforts by both government agencies and community rangers like Lean Kha have helped to deter people from hunting wildlife which has seen a rise in animal observations," said WWF programme manager Michelle Owen.

But the organisation warns more work needs to be done to stamp out poaching, with at least 11 rare and endangered animals known to have been killed in the forest in 2010, including a pygmy loris, a leopard and an Asian elephant.

"Although there are positive signs that wildlife is rebounding, many of the species are globally at risk. These efforts therefore need to be continued and supported by local communities and champions such as Lean Kha," Owen said.