Help Care for Rescued Animals in Cambodia

We are very excited to announce that on December 17th, a trio of endangered silvered langurs was released into the forest of Angkor Archaeological Park. Born to parents rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, the langurs were mother-raised at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center (PTWRC) and lived in a rehabilitation enclosure with limited human presence for some time. They were transferred to their release enclosure in Angkor Thom on July 20th, where they acclimated to their new surroundings for 4 months before being released. Fifteen minutes after the release door was opened, the male and one of the females left the enclosure. We were initially concerned they would leave the other female behind, however after another fifteen minutes she made her exit, and the two were waiting for her outside. Over the past few days, the langurs have stayed close to their release site and continue to take supplemental food left for them as they adjust to their new home in the wild!

The silvered langurs are the second set of animals that we have released into this protected forest. In December 2013, the Wildlife Release Project at Angkor Archaeological Park was initiated with the release of two endangered gibbons. Since then, the gibbons have quickly adapted to their new life, and even had their first baby in September! This release project is a groundbreaking new endeavor between Wildlife Alliance, the Forestry Administration and the Apsara Authority that manages the World Heritage site, to repopulate the barren forest at Angkor Archaeological Park. The Angkor temples and their surrounding forest are one the most culturally significant places in Cambodia. The 4,000 hectares of forest that surrounds the temples is now almost devoid of wildlife due to excessive and unrestricted hunting that used to take place. The area is now well protected and we are extremely fortunate to be the ones with permission to start repopulating the forests with species that used to live here.

Listed by the IUCN as Endangered, silvered langurs are beautiful tree-dwelling monkeys that have long tails and a unique salt-and-peppered coat. Infants are born with a bright orange coat and only begin developing grey fur after three months. Silvered langurs feed primarily on leaves and have a large, specialized stomach containing symbiotic bacteria that detoxifies poisonous leaves and enables them to digest leaf material more efficiently than any other primate. These incredible animals are endangered due to habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade and use in traditional medicines. It is our hope that this monitored release program will help bolster their dwindling populations and safeguard their uncertain future. Guards have been stationed to protect the forest, and the langurs will continue to be monitored to ensure they thrive in their new home.

Help Wildlife Alliance continue to be at the forefront of conservation and wildlife protection in the Southeast Asian tropical belt, by making an end of year gift to Help Save Victimized Wildlife today!