Help Rangers Protect Endangered Cambodian Wildlife

 On April 10, 2014, an undercover operation conducted by Wildlife Alliance’s forest patrol unit led to the confiscation of 22 logs of luxury timber. For three days, the Assistant Supervisor of Sre Ambel Station posed as a timber trader to gain insider information on an upcoming shipment of illegal timber. While following an intermediary trader, he discovered the stash of illegal timber ready to be transported. He immediately called the Station Supervisor, and the patrol team arrived late at night, just as the drivers began to haul the timber away. The offenders did everything they could to prevent the patrol team from confiscating the illegal timber. To intimidate the officers, the traders opened fire at the patrol unit, and a shoot-out ensued in the darkness. However, the team persevered and was able to confiscate the two trucks containing the illegal wood and drove the evidence back to the station. The team pursued the traders but was unable to catch them as they were heavily armed and able to slip into the forest cover.

The Southern Cardamom Forest Protection Program forest rangers work day and night, risking their lives to protect the forest. Last year alone, the rangers removed 13,474 snares, confiscated 8,369 cubic feet of illegal timber and rescued 448 animals. Right now, the team is in urgent need of a new vehicle in order to continue their operations. The truck, which would cost $30,000, would allow them to continue to patrol over the 1.7 million acres of forest in the Southern Cardamoms. Help these rangers continue to protect the Southern Cardamom Mountain Range and its wildlife!

Recently, the Tatai Ranger station received information about a boat heading towards the coast carrying illegal wood. According to the informant, the boat that was transporting the illegal wood was stuck in an estuary near Botum Sakor National Park due to low tide. Project Manager Eduard Lefter and the Tatai ranger team immediately headed towards the area by speedboat; as they headed south, they called the Trapeang Roung Station for backup.

An hour later, when the team finally found the boat, it was nearly empty. In fact, the informant had called them too early and the perpetrators had barely started loading the boat. As the rangers approached the area, the offenders ran away and took cover in the forest. The team found a large boat with four cubic meters (141 cubic feet) of wood, and two smaller boats ready to be loaded. There was also an astonishing 35-40 cubic meters (1,236 – 1,412 cubic feet) of timber hidden in the river, about 200-300 meters (656-986 feet) deep. After 3 hours of loading up the boats, the team transported the timber and boats back to the station, destroying what they had to leave behind.

Wildlife Alliance’s forest rangers risk their lives every day to patrol over 1.7 million acres of forest in the Southern Cardamom Mountain Range. Last year alone, the Forest Protection team conducted 7,099 patrols, confiscated over 237.7 cubic meters of illegal rosewood and timber and rescued 448 animals. Help them continue to make an impact by making a gift today!