Cambodian biologist says national animal probably extinct
Saturday, 12 November 2011
By Nguon Serath
Watch video of the Kouprey here.
PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 - A Cambodian biologist said Saturday that the kouprey (Bos sauveli), a wild forest-dwelling ox native to northern Cambodia , was now probably extinct.
Kong Kim Sreng said the animal had seemingly disappeared from its natural habitat. “Over the last ten years, we cannot find any scientific evidence to prove that koupreys still exist in their natural habitat, even with camera traps,” he said. "We have information about koupreys only from villagers but we do not have actual evidence."
First described by French scientists in 1937, the kouprey is now classified as a critically-endangered species on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation Nature (IUCN) with international trade in the animal banned.
In the 1960s, Prince Norodom Sihanouk identified and declared the kouprey as a symbol of Cambodia's natural heritage. It was re-recognized in 2005.
In its latest assessment in 2008, IUCN said the species was "most likely to be extinct" although there could be "a few individuals" remaining. "The high level of hunting in the region has led to a significant decline, estimated at over 80 percent in the last 30 years," it said.
Watch video of the Kouprey here.
PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 - A Cambodian biologist said Saturday that the kouprey (Bos sauveli), a wild forest-dwelling ox native to northern Cambodia , was now probably extinct.
Kong Kim Sreng said the animal had seemingly disappeared from its natural habitat. “Over the last ten years, we cannot find any scientific evidence to prove that koupreys still exist in their natural habitat, even with camera traps,” he said. "We have information about koupreys only from villagers but we do not have actual evidence."
First described by French scientists in 1937, the kouprey is now classified as a critically-endangered species on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation Nature (IUCN) with international trade in the animal banned.
In the 1960s, Prince Norodom Sihanouk identified and declared the kouprey as a symbol of Cambodia's natural heritage. It was re-recognized in 2005.
In its latest assessment in 2008, IUCN said the species was "most likely to be extinct" although there could be "a few individuals" remaining. "The high level of hunting in the region has led to a significant decline, estimated at over 80 percent in the last 30 years," it said.
2 comments:
Under Hun Sen ruling in the last 30 years, we can be sure that everything is significantly declining while himself, and his families are increasingly rich.
I agree. we kill everything in sight, that include the opposition parties....
Eventually, there will be no Khmers left in Srok Khmers. That would give the Thais and the Viet easy access to Srok Khmers.....alright...Khmers. Good job...
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