PHNOM PENH, May 25 (NNN-AKP) – A total of 16 critically endangered Banteng, in Cambodia, were guided onto a truck by helicopter for the first time and relocated into a wildlife sanctuary successfully, conservationist groups said yesterday.
Banteng is a species of wild cattle recently listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Conservation groups, Rising Phoenix and Siem Pang Conservation, said in a press release that, following the discovery of the Banteng herds, the conservationists had used a helicopter to guide the wild cattle through a mass-capture funnel trap, onto a truck before relocating them to Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary from May 12 to May 15.
“A total of 16 Banteng were captured during the four-day operation, including one adult bull, eight adult females, five juveniles and two calves,” the press release said.
All captured Banteng were transported within three hours of capture and released into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in Siem Pang district of Stung Treng province, where they will be monitored and protected, it added.
“This operation marks a significant achievement in wildlife conservation in Cambodia and Southeast Asia, representing the first ever mass-capture using a helicopter, and the first time Banteng have been caught and translocated using this method,” the press release said.
The success of the approach demonstrates the effectiveness of collaborative efforts in protecting endangered species, it said, adding that, importantly it opens the way for further such operations to relocate Banteng trapped in isolated forest patches elsewhere in the country.– NNN-AKP
