Guar herd caught on camera: ministry
A herd of gaurs with calves was spotted by an infrared-triggered camera trap at one of the Kingdom’s many wildlife sanctuaries, raising hopes among local and international biodiversity conservationists that the species can be saved from extinction, according to the Ministry of Environment on July 17.
The gaur (Bos gaurus) is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as “vulnerable”.
Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said the number of gaurs in the Kingdom dropped by 50 per cent from 1960-1990, before plunging a further 80 per cent in just the last 10 years.
“But although the number dropped in Cambodia proportionally to global trends, we still have gaurs in almost every wildlife sanctuary,” he said, offering a silver lining to an otherwise dispiriting situation.
The global population has dwindled since the 1950s and currently stands at 15,000-35,000, of which 6,000-21,000 are adults, Pheaktra said citing field studies by experts. The species was reportedly extirpated – made locally extinct – from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, he added.
Today, the majority of gaurs live in Cambodia, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, he said, adding that the true population in Cambodia is unknown.
Mom Kunthear
