Help Stop Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

During the first quarter of 2025, WRRT staff received a total of 994 phone calls from our informants, government officials, and members of the public via our 24-hour Wildlife Crime Hotline and on their personal lines, with information or requests for help with wild animals. In addition, WRRT is increasing investigations into illegal online advertising of wildlife. We identified and reported to Facebook 116 posts of illegal wildlife sales, but only 6 of these posts were removed by Facebook.

WRRT rescued 280 live animals in the first quarter of 2025, still battling with the restrictions placed on the team by the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture due to an announcement from the former Prime Minister that stated that people should be allowed to keep wildlife as pets if they are cared for properly and if this is for conservation purposes. Some of the live animals confiscated include:

• 4 Sunda pangolins (Critically Endangered)
• 3 pileated gibbons and 2 silvered langurs (Endangered)
• 2 tigers, 1 leopard cat and many more.
• 189 live animals were also released back into the natural habitat by the WRRT

Some notable rescues this month include a baby gibbon which was seen on a Facebook post hanging on his dead mother, who had fallen from a tree in a pagoda in Steung Treng province. The team contacted local authorities to obtain the location of the gibbon, and after collecting him, they took him to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (PTWRC) for care. In January, the team was contacted by a Chinese national in Phnom Penh, who decided to donate two tigers that he had been keeping as pets. Alongside our veterinarians, the team collected the tigers and took them to PTWRC for rehabilitation.

As ever, these rescues would not be possible without your ongoing support of the WRRT. We hope to continue to be a lifeline for Cambodia’s wildlife.

                                                   THANK YOU!

Our Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT) plays a critical role in safeguarding Cambodia’s most vulnerable wildlife. In 2024, the team had a busy year rescuing animals, investigating the illegal wildlife trade and releasing animals back into their natural habitat.

In 2024, our team:

• Conducted 643 operations
• Rescued 2,120 live animals from the illegal wildlife trade
• Confiscated 293kg of wildlife meat
• Received 3,565 calls to the Wildlife Crime Hotline
• Arrested 85 traffickers caught in the trade of wildlife
• Received 110 reports of illegal wildlife trade via Wildlife Alliance Facebook pages

There were some particularly notable animal rescues last year. In October, our team received reports from informants that a police raid on a Chinese restaurant which led to the arrest of the owner had revealed a live tiger living in a box in the restaurant. Following this report, the WRRT requested to the authorities for permission to inspect the restaurant due to concerns over the poor conditions the tiger was living in. Eventually, the team negotiated with the restaurant managers to donate the tiger to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (PTWRC), where it would be rehabilitated and cared for. Today the tiger, named Roy, is thriving at PTWRC and enjoying his new found freedom.

In November, the team were informed that a baby elephant had been abandoned by her herd and was seen wondering near plantations looking malnourished. The WRRT and veterinarians from PTWRC organized a rescue and transported the elephant, named Chanam, to PTWRC to be cared for. Again, in December, the team received information of an injured baby elephant wondering around the forest in Mondulkiri. The 5-month-old baby, now named Lomphat, had fallen victim to a wire snare which led to a very bad injury on her left front leg. A team consisting of Military Police, a veterinarian and the head keeper from PTWRC immediately left and drove all night to rescue her. They delivered her first aid and built a crate for her to be transported to PTWRC, where she arrived the next day. If you would like to read more about Lomphat and her new life at PTWRC, please click here.

 As ever, these rescues would not be possible without your ongoing support of the WRRT and in 2025 we will continue to be a lifeline for Cambodian wildlife. Thank you.