The environment department in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province recently reported finding a dead adult female Asian elephant and her miscarried calf at O’Skach in the Preah Rokar–Chhep Wildlife Sanctuary. Preliminary investigations linked the incident to explosive fragments left by the military conflict involving Thailand. The mother was injured and died in a stream, and the calf did not survive.
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Rangers and local communities said residents had found bloody elephant tracks in the area in mid-December and promptly reported them. The provincial environment department then organised several searches and investigations by sanctuary rangers together with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) wildlife researchers. However, the vast forest and proximity to the conflict zone constrained the search, and the two elephants were not confirmed dead until late December. The authorities are continuing to investigate and handle the remains in accordance with the law.
Official information says around 20 wild elephants currently range in Preah Vihear province, mainly in the Preah Rokar–Chhep Wildlife Sanctuary, linked to mountain ecosystems along the Cambodia–Thailand and Cambodia–Laos borders. No wild elephant deaths had been recorded locally over the previous decade. Recent research indicates Cambodia’s wild elephant population has risen to more than 600. The Asian elephant is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is strictly protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Compiled reporting by this station