Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) have been spotted in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, said NatureLife Cambodia Organisation, stressing that this is a new record for the last 10 years for this protected area.

According to its news release yesterday, on May 19, 2023, during their monthly patrol, rangers based in O Roveak station of Mondulkiri province recorded the footprint and leftovers of a herd of Asian elephants (four heads) in the evergreen forest of Lomphat Mondulkiri-core zone.

“We also receive the report from Taun-Kaunva villagers who saw this herd of Asian elephant sighting near their village on May 28, 2023. Our team assumes that these elephants move from the evergreen forest within the landscape and the monitoring is continuing to understand its movement,” it added.

With support from USAID-Morodok Baitang and BirdLife International, the source pointed out, NatureLife Cambodia and the Ministry of Environment are implementing the REDD+ project in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary to protect the forest, conserve wildlife and biodiversity while improving the livelihood of local communities.

The Asian elephant is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with its population has declined by an estimated 50 percent over the past 75 years, and there are an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild.

The Asian elephant, also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus Elephas and is residing throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

The elephant gives birth in July-August to one or a twin at a time after 21 months of pregnancy (maximum 25 months), and it can give birth 4 or 5 times during its 50- to 70-year life span.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse