Endangered wild cattle discovered in Cambodia's northwest

Unexpected photos from Siem Reap Province, north-west Cambodia, signal hope for the country's wild cattle amidst threats from hunting and habitat loss.

Positioned to gather local biodiversity data, hidden camera traps have captured photos of banteng, a wild cattle species of Southeast Asia, in an area of Cambodia's Siem Reap Province where the species was previously believed to be extinct.

The camera traps were set by Fauna & Flora International's (FFI) Asia-Pacific Community Carbon Pools and REDD+ Programme and recorded six individual banteng (including three young). Hoof prints and dung were also found in the area.

"The discovery of banteng in a region where few individuals remain and hunting risk is high signifies renewed hope for the species and emphasises the critical and urgent need for effective conservation in this region of Cambodia," said Rob Harris, FFI's Programme Manager, Asia-Pacific Community Carbon Pools and REDD+.

A species in peril

The name 'wild cattle' might not conjure images of a species in danger, but with only a few thousand animals left in the wild (fewer than 8,000 according to the IUCN), it's undeniable that this animal faces a very uncertain future.

Banteng (Bos javanicus) once roamed in vast herds across Southeast Asia from southern China to the islands of Borneo and Java, but today are listed as globally Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The once-thriving species has been reduced to isolated populations whose numbers are in sharp decline and are at risk from a long list of threats: poaching inside protected areas, habitat loss, hybridisation with domestic cattle and infections from domestic cattle diseases.

Although numbers remaining are difficult to estimate, today Cambodia is believed to be home to between 2,000 and 5,000 individuals, the largest remaining world population of banteng (2011 WWF figures). According to the IUCN, research shows a 90% decline in Cambodia's banteng population in the last 50 years.

Why do we need wild cattle?

Banteng are a key High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) species, a Forest Stewardship Council forest management designation based on an area's value, including the presence of threatened species and ecosystems and the services they provide to local communities.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-endangered-wild-cattle-cambodia-northwest.html#jCp