Oddar Meanchey: Unfortunately, a male banteng died in the forest near a Buddhist monastery in an Oddar Meanchey Provincial Wildlife Sanctuary on May 24, 2020. The animal was in very poor health and had suffered injuries from hunters’ traps. Veterinary experts and officials trying to save it were unable to do so, according to a statement from Neth Pheaktra, the Secretary of State and the Ministry of Environment’s spokesman, on the evening of May 24, 2020.
From the beginning of 2020 until May 24, 2020, four banteng were found dead, one in Kampong Speu dying in a trap and two found dead in Mondul Kiri province and this latest on the Oddar Meanchey/Preah Vihear Wildlife Sanctuary border.
Neth Pheaktra, secretary of state at the Ministry of Environment, expressed his regret over the loss of this rare species. According to a study, the population of banteng in Cambodia is between 2700 and 5700. This makes Cambodia home to one of the world’s most abundant populations, while the total population of in the world is estimated to be between 5900 and 11,000. Thailand and Indonesia also have a few hundred animals.
