rhamphotheca:Endangered wild cattle discovered in north-west Cambodiaby Kristi FosterUnexpected phot
rhamphotheca:Endangered wild cattle discovered in north-west Cambodiaby Kristi FosterUnexpected photos from Siem Reap Province, north-west Cambodia, signal hope for the country’s wild cattle amidst threats from hunting and habitat loss. Positioned to gather local biodiversity data, hidden camera traps have captured photos of banteng, a wild cattle species of Southeast Asia, in an area of Cambodia’s Siem Reap Province where the species was previously believed to be extinct. The camera traps were set by Fauna & Flora International’s (FFI) Asia-Pacific Community Carbon Pools and REDD+ Programme and recorded six individual banteng (including three young). Hoof prints and dung were also found in the area.The name ‘wild cattle’ might not conjure images of a species in danger, but with only a few thousand animals left in the wild (fewer than 8,000 according to the IUCN), it’s undeniable that this animal faces a very uncertain future. Banteng (Bos javanicus) once roamed in vast herds across Southeast Asia from southern China to the islands of Borneo and Java, but today are listed as globally Endangered on the IUCN Red List…(read more: Fauna and Flora International)images: Caleb Jones/Integrated Solutions Asia Cooperation/FFI -- source link